Interferon-alfa (IFN-alpha) is one of the most effective drugs in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Recently, IFN-alpha has also been tried in the treatment of Ph-positive acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), a disease in part sharing the same molecular genetic lesion as CML, namely a BCR/ABL fusion gene. In the present study we analyzed the effect of IFN-alpha (rHuIFN-alphaA/D) on a mouse model for Ph-positive ALL - mice transgenic for the P190 BCR/ABL fusion gene. IFN-alpha treatment was started in the early leukemic phase and continued throughout the course of the disease in eight transgenic animals. No prolonged survival or altered disease pattern with regard to the development of leukemia and/or lymphoma was observed. We conclude that IFN-alpha, at least in a transgenic setting, does not interfere with the leukemogenic process induced by the P190 BCR/ABL fusion gene.

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