R. Toraldo et al., INTERFERON-ALFA THERAPY IN AN INFANT WITH JUVENILE CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA, Pediatric hematology and oncology, 12(2), 1995, pp. 189-194
We describe an infant with juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia (JCML
), the diagnosis of which was made by the characteristic clinical and
hematologic findings. The absence of a related HLA-compatible donor fo
r bone marrow transplantation coupled with the awareness that chemothe
rapy is usually ineffective prompted our decision to treat the patient
with lymphoblastoid interferon-alpha [alpha(L gamma)-IFN]. During the
26-month course of treatment with alpha(L gamma)-IFN an incomplete re
gression of hematologic and clinical findings was achieved. The above
results, along with the easy administration and absence of considerabl
e side effects, suggest that alpha(L gamma)-IFN may be a useful therap
eutic tool in patients affected by JCML awaiting bone marrow transplan
tation.