ALPHA-INTERFERON-2B TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC HEPATITIS-B INFECTION IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER

We have evaluated the efficacy of treatment with recombinant Interfero n-2b (IFN-2b) in 12 children with cancer who developed chronic hepatit is-B infection, Seven of them had lymphoblastic leukaemia and others h ad solid tumours, Seven cases were male. Mean age was 10.5 years with a range of 5-16 years. Chronic Hepatitis B was diagnosed biochemically , serologically and histopathologically. They were HBsAg(+), NBV-DNA(), and HCV(-), HIV(-). Seven cases were HBeAg(+) and two of them were anti-Delta IgG(+), Liver biopsy revealed chronic active hepatitis in s ix cases and persistent hepatitis in three eases. IFN rues given at th e dose of 5 MU/m(2) three times a week, subcutaneously for 6 months. I t was well tolerated, After IFN therapy, ALT levels returned to normal in seven cases, All cases were still BBsAg(+). Four of them seroconve rted to anti-HBe antibody. Loss of serum HBV-DNA in three cases, but 1 1 cases showed a marked decrease after IFN, The control liver biopsies showed that histopathological activity index was diminished in five c ases. Other 16 patients, serving as control, received no therapy. Five of them were leukaemia and others were solid tumours. Twelve cases we re male, Mean age was 9.3 years with a range of 4-19 years. After 6 mo nths, only one patient lost HBV-DNA and three of them seroconverted to anti-HBe with normalization of ALT values. In our study, IFN treatmen t favourably influenced the prepress of chronic hepatitis B in childre n with cancer.