EFFICACY OF RECOMBINANT ALPHA-INTERFERON-2A AND 13-CIS-RETINOIC ACID IN THE TREATMENT OF SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA

Background: Recent in vitro and in vivo studies hypothesize a synergistic effect of 13-cis-Retinoic Acid (13cRA) and recombinant alpha-IFN 2a (alpha-IFN) in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC). Patients and methods: 35 patients with SqCC in several sites were treated with 13cRA (0.6-1 mg/kg/day) combined with alpha-IFN (6 x 10(6) I.U./day), continuously for 3 months. Results: We observed an objective response in 41% of cases (13/32 evaluable patients) with 5 complete and 8 partial responses.Toxicity was mild and always rapidly reversible, with no haematological side effects. Conclusions: These preliminary data confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the combination of 13cRA and alpha-IFN in the therapy of SqCC, also in pre-treated patients, with acceptable toxicity and good compliance.