Human leukocyte interferon in therapy of patients with urinary bladder papillomatosis, breast cancer, and melanoma

Abstract

The authors report the result of local and parenteral applications of human leukocyte crude interferon in the therapy of eight patients with urinary bladder papillomatosis, four patients with breast cancer, and two patients with melanoma. The doses and effects of treatment are presented in tables. Clinical application of human leukocyte interferon (HLI) to these three types of malignant tumors has yielded encouraging results. The authors believe that investigations on HLI applications to some malignant tumors should continue because the results obtained indicate that interferon possesses not only an antiviral but also an antitumor activity.

Interferons in the treatment of human papillomavirus diseases

“…The use of interferon for HPV-related diseases was actually begun before DNA hybridization studies confirmed virus involvement, Clinical investigations of crude human leukocyte interferon (HLI) were conducted at the Institute of Immunology in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, in the 1970's (28)(29)(30)(31)(32). Early clinical trials involved the treatment of some malignant tumors, including invasive squamous cell carcinoma and precancerous states of the uterine cervix.…”

“…No pathologic progression was detected during the two year period of observation. In contrast, the lesions of control patients demonstrated malignant progression (30,31), Cancer studies were organized into three phases. In Phase I, intralesional injections were administered to 10 patients with cervical cancer and changes were monitored cytologically and histologically (32).…”