TREATMENT OF A PATIENT WITH MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA WITH INTERFERON-ALPHA(2) BASED ON IN-VITRO SENSITIVITY TESTS

The case of a 70-year-old patient with an epithelial mesothelioma is p resented. The patient suffered from dyspnea due to a right-sided recur rent hemorrhagic effusion. Cytological analysis of the effusion reveal ed marked lymphocytosis and tumor cells, some of them multinucleated w ith prominent nucleoli. Open lung biopsy revealed nodular thickening o f the diaphragmatic, visceral, and parietal pleura; histological exami nation of biopsies detected intravascular growth of tumor cells. Immun ocytochemical characterization of cultured tumor cells and the biopsy specimens showed positive staining to vimentin and cytokeratin, but ne gative reaction with antibodies against epithelial membrane associated antigen, leukocyte common antigen, van Willebrand factor, and neurofi lament. Hence, the tumor was classified as malignant mesothelioma. In vitro, interferon-alpha2 produced a dose-dependent inhibition of proli feration in the cultured mesothelioma cells. Two weeks after initiatio n of interferon-alpha2 treatment the patient improved and the pleural effusion vanished.