PURPOSE: Recombinant @entity1 interferon alfa (rIFN-alpha) has demonstrated significant activity against @entity706 when applied as salvage treatment after the failure of conventional therapy. It has also been shown to exhibit synergistic antitumor activity when given simultaneously with certain cytostatic agents. @entity1 AND METHODS: Against this background, two major strategies were followed to incorporate rIFN-alpha into the first-line treatment of @entity706 : application simultaneously with initial cytotoxic chemotherapy and application as maintenance treatment after successful initial chemotherapy. RESULTS: Of the five prospective randomized trials performed to assess the activity of rIFN-alpha in combination with initial chemotherapy versus the activity of chemotherapy alone, three studies showed that rIFN-alpha plus chemotherapy yielded no beneficial effect on remission rate, remission duration, or overall survival. In all three of these trials, chemotherapy consisted of a single alkylating agent. In contrast, a significant improvement in remission rate and remission duration was observed in two studies when rIFN-alpha was combined with @entity4349 -containing regimens. Five prospective randomized studies have evaluated the role of rIFN-alpha as maintenance therapy after successful cytoreductive chemotherapy. Four of these studies have either found no significant prolongation of the disease-free interval or shown significant improvement in disease-free survival only in @entity1 achieving a complete remission with initial cytoreductive treatment. In all four studies, relatively low doses of rIFN-alpha were administered for a limited time. A different outcome emerged in the fifth study, by the German @entity1893 Study Group, in which @entity1 received higher doses of rIFN-alpha with no restriction on duration of therapy. @entity1 treated with rIFN-alpha had a significantly prolonged median progression-free interval (30 versus 19 months), and at 4 years, 45% of @entity1 receiving rIFN-alpha maintenance therapy remained relapse-free, compared with 26% of @entity1 in the untreated control group (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Collectively, these data demonstrate that rIFN-alpha adds substantially to the treatment of @entity706 either when combined with @entity4349 -containing cytoreductive chemotherapy or when given as long-term maintenance therapy.

Interferon alfa for the treatment of XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'human', 'patients', 'PATIENTS'] @entity1893 :: ('MESH:D008228', 'Disease') :: ['Low Grade Lymphoma'] @entity706 :: ('MESH:D008223', 'Disease') :: ['follicular lymphomas'] @entity4349 :: ('CHEBI:48120', 'Chemical') :: ['anthracycline']
@entity706 :: (MESH:D008223,Disease) :: ['follicular lymphomas']
