Fehr
Fakultäten » Medizinische Fakultät » Hämatologie, Klinik für » Prof. Dr. Jörg Fehr (emeritiert) » Fehr
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Long-term follow up of patients with hairy cell leukemia: best individualized therapeutic modality ? Best way of monitoring course of disease ? |
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Strict and close monitoring of our hairy cell leukemia patients over more than 15 years gives us expertise in allocating best therapeutic modalities (splenectomy, interferon alpha, pentostatin, chloro-deoxiadenosine) to the individual patient. From strictly monitoring this patients by hematologic and biochemical parameters it becomes more and more evident that best monitoring is achieved by closely following interleukin 2 levels in plasma. A first long-term analysis of our patients has just been submitted to the Brit. J. Haematol: Abstract Interferon-α (IFNα) was the first effective pharmacologic treatment of hairy cell leukemia (HCL), but was recently replaced by purine analogues because of higher rates of complete remission and an invariable disease recurrence after cessation of IFNα. However, there are only limited data about long-term maintenance treatment with IFNα and none about dose finding in this phase. Here, we present a retrospective analysis of 52 patients treated at our institution for HCL. Forty (77%) patients received IFNα and 35 patients continue on long-term IFNα maintenance therapy. IFNα was started at the usual dose of 3Mio IU 3x/week and could be tapered to doses as low as 3 Mio IU/12weeks. Dose adaptation was performed by repeated measurement of soluble Interleukin 2 receptor (sIL2R) together with peripheral blood values. The median follow-up of patients in the long-term IFNα group was 13.6±7.5 years. IFNα was in general well tolerated and only in 6 (17%) patients the treatment had to be changed to purine analogues in the long-term IFNα group because of side effects. We present a simple and reliable way of IFNα maintenance therapy guidance. In addition, we discuss the advantage and disadvantage of IFNα in regards to the standard treatment in HCL patients. |
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| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | hairy cell leukemia, therapy | ||||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Other Public Sources (e.g. Federal or Cantonal Agencies) |
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| In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Jan 1985 to Aug 2008 |