Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2020 Mar 27;93(1):41-44.
eCollection 2020 Mar.

Low-Dose Intralesional Recombinant Interferon-α2b in the Treatment of Mycosis Fungoides

Jamie Katy Hu  1 , Kacie Carlson  2 , Michael Girardi  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Low-Dose Intralesional Recombinant Interferon-α2b in the Treatment of Mycosis Fungoides

Jamie Katy Hu et al. Yale J Biol Med. .

Abstract

Mycosis fungoides (MF), the most common form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), is characterized by malignant CD4+ skin-homing T-cells that drive formation of cutaneous patches, plaques, and/or tumors. MF's known immunogenicity makes it an ideal candidate for local immunotherapy. Recombinant human leukocyte interferon-α2 (rIFN-α2) has well-established immunomodulatory, antiproliferative, and antitumor effects; and relatively low levels of endogenous IFN-α have been observed within MF lesions. As a systemic therapy delivered via subcutaneous (SC) or intramuscular (IM) injection, rIFN-α2 has previously shown efficacy against MF. Due to high levels of toxicity associated with the systemic dosing required for improvement of disease, rIFN-α2 has had limited use in the treatment of MF. For these reasons, we sought to deliver rIFN-2 as a local immunotherapy, and herein describe two cases of MF successfully managed with intralesional injections of low-dose rIFN-α2. With limited reporting in the medical literature, intralesional injection of rIFN-α2 has shown efficacy, but with high frequency of associated systemic side effects. Towards a better tolerated, localized immunotherapy, we initiated treatment in two MF patients with low dose (0.5 MU) rIFN-α2 per injection that led to marked responses, and subsequent dosing to 1.0 MU ultimately led to complete resolution of the treated lesions without the generalized side effects observed with systemic administration of rIFN-α2. These cases suggest that low-dose intralesional rIFN-α2 may be an efficacious and well-tolerated local immunotherapy for early stage MF, providing a therapeutic option for the management of chronic, recalcitrant lesions.

Keywords: cutaneous t-cell lymphoma (CTCL); intralesional; local immunotherapy; mycosis fungoides (MF); recombinant interferon-α2.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical findings on the left medial knee of a patient with stage IB MF. (a) Thick red-violaceous coalescing plaques before and (b) after treatment with intralesional rIFN-α2.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Clinical findings on the back of a patient with stage IIB MF. (a) Localized, thick persistent lesions before and (b) after treatment with intralesional rIFN-α2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Sivanand A, Surmanowicz P, Alhusayen R, Hull P, Litvinov IV, Zhou Y, et al. Immunotherapy for Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: Current Landscape and Future Developments. J Cutan Med Surg. 2019:1203475419867610. - PubMed
    1. Vonderheid EC, Thompson R, Smiles KA, Lattanand A. Recombinant interferon alfa-2b in plaque-phase mycosis fungoides. Intralesional and low-dose intramuscular therapy. Arch Dermatol. 1987;123(6):757–63. - PubMed
    1. Wolff JM, Zitelli JA, Rabin BS, Smiles KA, Abell E. Intralesional interferon in the treatment of early mycosis fungoides. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1985;13(4):604–12. - PubMed
    1. Qiu B, Chen M. Treatment of cutaneous T cell lymphoma with low doses of interferon alpha-2b. Chin Med J (Engl). 1996;109(5):404–6. - PubMed
    1. Girardi M, Heald PW, Wilson LD. The pathogenesis of mycosis fungoides. N Engl J Med. 2004;350(19):1978–88. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms