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Blood, 15 June 2004, Vol. 103, No. 12, pp. 4408-4415. Prepublished online as a Blood First Edition Paper on March 9, 2004; DOI 10.1182/blood-2003-10-3605.
CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS, INTERVENTIONS, AND THERAPEUTIC TRIALS Randomized comparison of low-dose versus high-dose interferon-alfa in chronic myeloid leukemia: prospective collaboration of 3 joint trials by the MRC and HOVON groupsFrom the Department of Hematology, University Medical Center, Groningen, the Netherlands; the Clinical Trial Service Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom; the Department of Medical Statistics and the Department of Haematology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands; the Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; the Department of Hematology, The John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom; the Department of Hematology, University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; City Hospital National Health Service (NHS) Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom; the Department of Hematology, University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; the Department of Hematology/Oncology, Medical Center Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (OLVG), Amsterdam, the Netherlands; North Hampshire Hospital, Basingstoke, United Kingdom; Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester, United Kingdom; and the Department of Haematology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland.
The optimal dose of interferon-alfa (IFN) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is unknown. Retrospective analyses suggest that low doses are as effective as high doses, with less toxicity and fewer patients abandoning the drug. The Dutch Hemato-Oncology Association (HOVON) and British Medical Research Council (MRC) cooperative groups jointly performed randomized trials in newly diagnosed CML patients, comparing high-dose IFN (5 MIU/m2 daily) with low-dose (3 MIU, 5 times a week). Both arms allowed additional hydroxyurea to keep the white blood cell count lower than 5 x 109/L. Quality of life data were collected in a subset of patients. Between 1993 and 2001, 407 patients were randomized. At a median follow-up of 53 months, there were no significant differences in overall survival (odds ratio = 1.09, 95% confidence interval, 0.81-1.46), progression-free survival, and complete hematologic or major cytogenetic responses. Fewer patients in the low-dose group abandoned IFN for reasons other than transplant or progressive disease (P = .002, 58% vs 72% at 5 years). Quality of life data showed comparable results in both arms for most factors. There is no evidence of benefit for high-dose IFN compared with low-dose for the treatment of CML. Therefore, when IFN is combined with other drugs, low-dose IFN is advised, to minimize toxicity and costs. (Blood. 2004;103:4408-4415)
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