Australian Leukaemia Study Group Myeloma II: a randomized trial of intensive combination chemotherapy with or without interferon in patients with myeloma

• Published in: British journal of haematology Vol. 97; no. 1; pp. 38 - 45
• Main Authors: Joshua, Douglas E., Penny, Ron, Matthews, Jane P., Laidlaw, Christine R., Gibson, John, Bradstock, Ken, Wolf, Max, Goldstein, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, U.K. and Cambridge, USA Blackwell Science Ltd 01.04.1997; Blackwell
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Carmustine - administration & dosage; Carmustine - adverse effects; Combined treatments (chemotherapy of immunotherapy associated with an other treatment); co‐induction therapy; Cyclophosphamide - administration & dosage; Cyclophosphamide - adverse effects; Doxorubicin - administration & dosage; Doxorubicin - adverse effects; Female; Humans; Interferon alpha-2; Interferon-alpha - administration & dosage; Interferon-alpha - adverse effects; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multiple Myeloma - drug therapy; Multivariate Analysis; myeloma; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; plateau; Prednisone - administration & dosage; Prednisone - adverse effects; Quality of Life; Recombinant Proteins; Remission Induction; survival; Time Factors; Treatment Failure; Treatment Outcome; α‐interferon; Antineoplastic agent; Prognosis; Nitrosoureas; Alpha interferon; Myeloma; Doxorubicin; Randomization; Immunoglobulinopathy; Lymphoproliferative syndrome; Immunotherapy; Clinical trial; Human; Immunopathology; Drug combination; Carmustine; Cytokine; Malignant hemopathy; Prednisone; Induction treatment; Oxazaphosphinane derivatives; Antibiotic; Chemotherapy; Cyclophosphamide; Nitrogen mustard; Anthracyclins; Combined treatment
• ISSN: 0007-1048; 1365-2141
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2141.1997.9942643.x

The Australian Leukaemia Study Group has performed a randomized trial of interferon α‐2A (Roferon‐A) as a co‐induction agent together with intensive combination chemotherapy and as maintenance following completion of 12 cycles of induction treatment. When used as a co‐induction agent, interferon‐α did not improve response rates, time‐to‐treatment failure, or overall survival. Patients who had interferon together with intensive combination therapy (PCAB: prednisone 60 mg/m2 days 1–5, cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 day 1, BCNU 30 mg/m2 day 1, doxorubicin 30 mg/m2 day 1, repeated every 28 d for a total of 12 cycles) had more leucocyte and granulocyte toxicity and received a lower dose intensive of cytotoxic drugs than those patients who received PCAB without interferon.  There was a trend towards prolongation of plateau phase which did not reach significance. Interferon, however, did improve the survival of patients who achieved plateau; for those patients interferon was associated with a 33% decrease in the rate of death after adjusting for initial beta‐2 microglobulin level.