Talpaz M
Department of Medicine, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
Semin Oncol. 1994 Dec;21(6 Suppl 14):3-7.
In a series of studies spanning 14 years, investigators from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) documented the activity of interferon-alfa (IFN-alpha) in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Beginning with partially purified IFN-alpha, we demonstrated that this biologic compound has clinical activity against CML, that some malignancies are resistant to IFN-alpha, and that the effect is selective whereby the malignant clone can be restored to normalcy. These observations were confirmed by us and others when larger quantities of IFN-alpha became available through recombinant DNA technology (rIFN-alpha). In contrast with our experience with chemotherapy, myelosuppression was not required for cytogenetic remission; this dissociation may be the basis for the selectivity of IFN-alpha against CML. Recently, another group demonstrated that patients randomized to receive rIFN-alpha 2a survived longer than those treated with standard hydroxyurea chemotherapy. New tests are needed to identify the subset of patients most likely to benefit from IFN-alpha therapy and to distinguish cytogenetic responders who are truly cured from those with minimal residual disease.
在一项历时14年的系列研究中，得克萨斯州休斯敦市MD安德森癌症中心的研究人员记录了干扰素-α（IFN-α）在慢性粒细胞白血病（CML）中的活性。从部分纯化的IFN-α开始，我们证明了这种生物化合物对CML具有临床活性，一些恶性肿瘤对IFN-α耐药，并且其作用具有选择性，恶性克隆可恢复正常。当通过重组DNA技术（rIFN-α）可获得大量IFN-α时，我们和其他研究人员证实了这些观察结果。与我们使用化疗的经验相比，细胞遗传学缓解并不需要骨髓抑制；这种分离可能是IFN-α对CML具有选择性的基础。最近，另一组研究表明，随机接受rIFN-α 2a治疗的患者比接受标准羟基脲化疗的患者存活时间更长。需要新的检测方法来识别最有可能从IFN-α治疗中获益的患者亚组，并区分真正治愈的细胞遗传学反应者和仅有微小残留疾病的患者。
