The effect of interferon-alpha ( @entity3027 ) as single agent or in combination in the treatment of metastatic @entity320 ( @entity320 ) or of advanced @entity1358 ( @entity1358 ) has been widely explored in phase II trials. To evaluate the net benefit of @entity3027 therapy in these diseases, we performed a meta-analysis comprising all available randomized trials comparing regimens with or without @entity3027 . Data were obtained from the Medline data base, and from the data bases at the National @entity5 Institute, Schering-Plough, and Hoffmann-La Roche. A total of six published and five unpublished studies on metastatic @entity320 , as well as six published and two unpublished studies on advanced @entity1358 , comprising altogether 1,164 and 525 @entity1 , respectively, fulfilled our criteria. In @entity320 , the overall response rate for the @entity3027 -containing regimens was 24% (range, 10-46%), compared with 17% (range, 5-30%) for those without @entity3027 . In @entity1358 , the overall response rate for @entity3027 -containing regimens was 14% (range, 4-33%), and 8% (range, 3-27%) for those without @entity3027 . A meta-analysis showed that regimens including @entity3027 improved response rates compared with regimens without @entity3027 . The pooled odds ratio (OR) for improved response with @entity3027 in metastatic @entity320 was 0.65 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.48 to 0.87], and in advanced @entity1358 the OR was 0.47 (95% CI 0.26-0.85). In five metastatic @entity320 trials and three @entity1358 trials, enough data on survival were reported to estimate a pooled 1-year OR for survival. The pooled OR for improved survival with @entity3027 was 0.69 (95% CI 0.50-0.94), and 0.46 (95% CI 0.28-0.75), respectively. The data on both metastatic @entity320 and advanced @entity1358 indicate that better response rates and prolonged survival can be achieved with regimens including @entity3027 . The clinical relevance of these findings will be discussed.

Regimens with or without interferon-alpha as treatment for @entity320 and XXXX : an overview of randomized trials.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['Cancer'] @entity3027 :: ('3439', 'Gene') :: ['IFN-alpha'] @entity1358 :: ('MESH:D002292', 'Disease') :: ['renal cell carcinoma', 'RCC'] @entity320 :: ('MESH:D008545', 'Disease') :: ['MM', 'malignant melanoma']
@entity1358 :: (MESH:D002292,Disease) :: ['renal cell carcinoma']
