Human Interferon Alpha-2b: A Therapeutic Protein for Cancer Treatment

Table 1

Summary of clinical application of rhIFN𝛼-2b.

No	Indication	Clinical setting	Efficacy	References
1	Hairy cell leukemia	Seven patients received 3 million U of partially purified (leukocyte) human IFN intramuscularly daily.	Three of seven patients achieved a complete remission and four a partial remission.	[23]
		hIFNα-2b was given to 50 patients. The dose was 2.0 × 10^6 IU/m^2 subcutaneously three times weekly.	At 24 months, there were 38 patients remained. During the two years of continuous IFN treatment none of the patients showed any signs of relapse. The IFN therapy was generally well tolerated, but 24 month evaluation showed mild toxicity in about 76% of the patients.	[25]
		hIFNα-2b treatments with 2.0 × 10^6 IU/m^2 dose for 12 to 18 month therapy.	There were 13 patients from 69 patients (six were hematopoietic origin and the remaining were adenocarcinomas) developed second neoplasm.	[26]
2	Melanoma	Comparing intravenous administration of hIFNα-2b at 20 MU/m^2for 1 month and subcutaneous administration at 10 MU/m^2 for 48 weeks with observation alone in 287 patients.	Prolongation of disease free survival and prolongation of overall survival occurred in comparison to observation.	[27]
		A randomized trial to compare observation alone with 6 months’ therapy with subcutaneously low dose interferon at 3 MU/day (three times weekly).	There was a statistically significant improved disease-free survival for up to 24 months.	[28]
		A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials by Lens and Dawes.	No clear benefit of hIFNα-2b on overall survival in melanoma patients. A large randomized controlled trial is needed to study the effectiveness and beneficiary of hIFNα-2b treatment.	[29]
3	Follicular Lymphoma	IFNα2b has given in the context of relatively intensive initial chemotherapy at 36 × 10^6 units per month.	Prolongation of survival and remission duration.	[30]
		Rituximab added to first-line mitoxantrone, chlorambucil, and prednisolone chemotherapy followed by interferon maintenance.	Prolongs survival in patients with advanced follicular lymphoma.	[31]
		Stage III or stage IV of 204 patients that receive either chlorambucil (CB): 10 mg daily for 6 weeks, followed by a 2-week interval, with 3 subsequent 2-week treatment periods at the same dose, separated by 2-week intervals, or, CB given concurrently with interferon (IFN). IFN was given at a dose of 3 million units thrice weekly, subcutaneously, throughout the 18-week treatment period.	The role of interferon as initial and maintenance therapy in patients with newly diagnosed FL did not demonstrate any advantage.	[32]
4	Renal Cell Carcinoma	Long term of combination hIFNα-2b and interleukin-2 administered subcutaneously in 50 patients.	Objective responses was observed in 9 of 50 (18%) patients and 6 of whom (12%) achieved a complete response. Overall median survival is 12 months, six patients were surviving at a median follow-up of 24 months, and three (6%) are still progression-free.	[33]
		Nephrectomy followed by hIFNα-2b administration.	Improved survival of 120 metastatic RCC patients.	[35]
5	AIDS-related Kaposi’s Sarcoma	Treatment of Kaposi’s sarcoma with hIFNα-2b in 114 patients using three dose regimens, that is, 50 × 10^6 IU/m^2 intravenously (high dose), 30 × 10^6 IU/m^2 subcutaneously (intermediate dose), or 1 × 10^6 IU/m^2 subcutaneously (low dose).	Complete or partial remissions were obtained in 35% of the patients.	[36]
		Combination low dose of hIFNα-2b with zidovudine that administered 10–20 MU day^−1of hIFNα and 500–800 mg day^−1 zidovudin in fourty AIDS-associated Kaposi’s sarcoma patients.	Eighteen patients (45%) had an overall response (CR + PR) at 3 months and a response persisting for a median of 14 (3–27) months.	[37]
6	Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia	114 patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia in India. All patients were received 5 million unit of rhIFNα-2b daily subcutaneously.	Kaplan-Meier probability of survival at 36 months was 76%.	[39]
		82 Ph’positive CML patients that had intermittent or daily administration of rhIFNα-2b.	The rate of cytogenetic response and patients survival were increased when rhIFNα-2b was combined with cytarabine.	[40]