Authors: Bostanci, Seher; Kocyigit, Pelin; Alp, Ayegül; Erdem, Cengizhan; Gürgey, Erbak

Source: Clinical Drug Investigation, Volume 25, Number 10, 2005 , pp. 661-667(7)

Publisher: Adis International

Abstract:

Objective: Intralesional injections of interferon have been reported to provide successful results in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma. However, there are only a few reports describing the long-term efficacy of this therapy. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and long-term results of interferon -2a (IFN-2a) in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma.

Methods: Twenty dermatopathologically proven basal cell carcinoma lesions were treated with intralesional IFN-2a injections three times weekly for 3 weeks. The dose per injection was 1.5 × 10⁶ IU if the lesion was <2cm in diameter and 3.0 × 10⁶ IU if it was 2cm. Eight weeks after the last injection, the lesion sites were rebiopsied and all cases were reevaluated both clinically and dermatopathologically. Patients with complete cure were followed up for 7 years to determine the long-term results.

Results: Eleven lesions (55%) showed complete clinical and dermatopathological remission, six lesions (30%) showed partial remission, and two lesions (10%) showed no response. One lesion (5%) increased in size during the treatment. No serious adverse effects were observed. During the follow-up period there was only one recurrence, at the fifth year.

Conclusion: Treatment with intralesional IFN-2a was shown to be an effective therapeutic option for basal cell carcinoma, with low recurrence rates in long-term follow-up.

Keywords: Antineoplastics; Basal cell cancer; Interferon alpha 2a

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

Publication date: 2005-01-01

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