A PATIENT WITH PLAQUE-STAGE MYCOSIS-FUNGOIDES HAS SUCCESSFULLY BEEN TREATED WITH LONG-TERM ADMINISTRATION OF IFN-GAMMA AND HAS BEEN IN COMPLETE REMISSION FOR MORE THAN 6 YEARS

We report the successful treatment of a patient with plaque-stage myco sis fungoides with long-term and intravenous administration of recombi nant human interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and discuss the possible mecha nisms of this therapy. A 55-year-old female patient had been resistant to existing treatments and had suffered repeated exacerbations over a 5-year period. Four weeks after initiation of 2 x 10(6) U/day of IFN- gamma, a >10% decrease in the affected surface area was noted. Twenty- two weeks after the administration of 228 x 10(6)U of IFN-gamma comple te remission (CR) was obtained. The CR continued for 13 weeks, but thi s was followed by an exacerbation. The second CR was obtained after th e IFN-gamma dosage was increased to 16 x 10(6) U/week. The dosage was then gradually reduced by 2-4 x 10(6) U every 2 or 3 months. She was t reated with a total dose of 2814 x 10(6) of IFN-gamma. She has been fo llowed up for more than 6 years, and there has been no recurrence of m ycotic skin lesions nor any visceral involvement. During therapy, no s erious side-effects were noted. Long-term administration of IFN-gamma is useful for the treatment of patients with intractable mycosis fungo ides. A gradual decrease in the dose of IFN-gamma is important for mai ntaining remission.