Comparison of the Effects of Intralesional Interferon Alfa‐2a, 2b and the Combination of 2a and 2b in the Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Interferons (IFN), especially alfa-2a and 2b, are potent inhibitors of normal and malignant cell growth and effective choices in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the IFN alfa-2a and 2b, and whether this effect may be increased by their combination. A total of 45 patients with histopathologically confirmed BCC were divided into three groups, equally. Groups 1,2 and 3 were treated with intralesional IFN alfa-2a, 2b, and the combination of 2a and 2b, respectively. Lesions were injected three times weekly in Groups 1 and 2 (total ten injections). IFN alfa-2a and 2b were injected alternately in Group 3 (5 IFN alfa-2a and 5 IFN alfa-2b). Eight weeks after completion of therapy, cytologic specimens were taken, and all cases were evaluated clinically and cytologically. Ten (66.6%) patients had a complete response (CR) and 5 (33.3%) had a partial response (PR) in Group 1. Patients in Group 2 showed 10 (66.6%) CR, 4 (26.6%) PR, and 1 (6.6%) non response. In Group 3, 11 (73.3%) patients had CR and 4 (26.6%) had PR. Follow-up periods ranged from 6-24 months, and no recurrences have been observed. These results suggest that IFN alfa-2a, 2b, and the combination of 2a and 2b appear to be effective choices for the treatment of BCC; the effectiveness is not increased by their combination.

Intralesional chemotherapy for nonmelanoma skin cancer: A practical review

“…Elevated liver function tests were reported in one patient. 35 None of the patients stopped therapy because of side effects or changes in laboratory results. Fifteen articles discuss the use of interferon alfa2b for the treatment of 542 BCCs.…”

“…Individual studies treated BCC with a sustainedrelease formulation of interferon alfa-2b, 37 the combination of interferon alfa-2a and -2b, 35 or an older formulation of interferon alfa-2 50,51 (not specifically alfa-2a or -2b). First, sustained-release interferon alfa-2b was used on 65 patients; 63 patients completed the study and two dropped out because of systemic side effects.…”

“…36 Some patients took acetaminophen at the time of treatment. 35 Patients were asked to avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in all studies. Laboratory testing (Table V) was done at baseline and during the treatment course for all of the patients.…”

“…Fifteen articles discuss the use of interferon alfa2b for the treatment of 542 BCCs. 35,[37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50] Of these, 65 were treated in a study using a sustained-release formulation of interferon alfa-2b and will be considered separately. 37 The remaining 477 tumors were located on the head and neck in 298 (62%) of the cases, on the trunk in 140 (30%), and on the extremities in 38 (8%).…”

“…[32][33][34][35][36] The tumors were located on the head and neck in 63 (95%) of the patients; the 3 (5%) remaining tumors were on the trunk. All tumors had a pretreatment biopsy.…”