Lb. Kaban et al., Antiangiogenic therapy of a recurrent giant cell tumor of the mandible with interferon alfa-2a, PEDIATRICS, 103(6), 1999, pp. 1145-1149
We report a 5-year-old girl with a large rapidly growing giant fell tumor o
f the mandible that recurred 2 months after the first surgical excision and
3 months after a second resection. An angiogenic protein, (bFGF), was abno
rmally elevated in her urine. The patient was treated with interferon alfa-
2a for 1 year because this agent inhibits angiogenesis by suppressing bFGF
overexpression in infantile hemangiomas and in other human tumors. During t
his time the bone tumor regressed and disappeared, the urinary bFGF fell to
normal levels, and the mandible regenerated. She has remained tumor-free a
nd has been off therapy for 3 years at this writing.
This first successful use of interferon alfa-2a to treat a mandibular tumor
in a child demonstrates: 1) low grade tumors that overexpress bFGF may res
pond to interferon alfa-aa, in a manner similar to life-threatening infanti
le hemangiomas; 2) antiangiogenic therapy, given without interruption for 1
year, was safe and effective in this patient; and 3) treatment may be cont
inued for 1 year without the development of drug resistance.