Intralesional interferon in the treatment of Peyronie's disease: a pilot study

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of intralesional interferon on patients with severe Peyronie's disease. Patients and methods Thirteen patients with Peyronie's disease and associated penile deformity of greater than 12 months' duration were selected. Characteristics of the plaque and the degree of deformity were measured objectively. Ten patients received 1.5 MU of α2B‐interferon intralesionally three times a week for 3 weeks. Three patients received similar volumes of intralesional saline. Results Six of the 10 patients who received interferon reported the complete disappearance of pain on erection and an improvement in the penile deformity. Although the objective improvement in deformity was relatively small, with a mean improvement of 20°, patients with a small plaque (<4 cm) had a better response. All those receiving inferferon had predictable but brief side‐effects similar to the symptoms of influenza. Conclusion Intralesional interferon is safe and well tolerated and results in symptomatic and some objective improvement, especially in patients with smaller Peyronie's plaques.

Role of oxidative stress and antioxidants in Peyronie's disease

“…45,46 Furthermore, interferon alpha 2b is recognized to effectively decrease keloid scars and scleroderma. 47 Based on the success of intralesional collagenase and verapamil and the recognized in vitro effects of interferon alpha, the first report with intralesional interferon alpha 2b demonstrated decreased penile pain, penile curvature, and plaque size. 43,47,48 In summary, the antioxidants are both natural and synthetic compounds (Table 1), and have recently gained considerable attention by the nutritional, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.…”

Pathophysiology of Peyronie's disease

“…47 Intralesional injection of either alpha 2A or alpha 2B interferon have also been reported with mixed results. 48,49 Oral tamoxifen has been tested as a therapeutic agent to treat Peyronie's disease. 50 Tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen, is thought to work by inducing TGF-b 1 expression.…”

Inhibition of Peyronie's plaque fibroblast proliferation by biologic agents

“…34,35 Judge et al, found a minimal positive objective effect on patients with smaller plaques, while Lue argued against the effectiveness of local interferon in 1998. 36,37 Ahuja et al, reported a signi®cant improvement in pain and curvature in their 1999 article. 38 Our ®ndings suggest that alpha-interferon has a signi®cant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of ®broblasts in vitro.…”