Interferon alfa-2c in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML): hematologic, cytogenetic and molecular-genetic response of patients with chronic phase CML previously resistant to therapy with interferon gamma.

Alpha- and gamma-interferons have been shown to actively suppress hematopoiesis in patients in the chronic phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia in vitro and in vivo. Since both interferons act through different receptors on their hematopoietic target cells, they are expected to be capable of independently inhibiting abnormal blood cell development in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. We have utilized recombinant human interferon alfa-2c to treate 11 patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase, who were resistant to previous interferon gamma therapy. Ten of the patients were evaluable for hematologic, cytogenetic and molecular-genet…