Mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome are rare and largely incurable types of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma with limited therapeutic options. In 1984 Bunn et al. reported that interferon alpha is an... Show moreMycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome are rare and largely incurable types of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma with limited therapeutic options. In 1984 Bunn et al. reported that interferon alpha is an efficient monotherapy in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and 14 years later it was shown in a prospective, randomized trial that a combination of interferon alpha and psoralen plus ultraviolet A therapy (PUVA) is most efficient in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Since then interferon alpha as single agent or, most often, in combination with phototherapy and/or retinoids has been integrated as standard of care in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma guidelines worldwide. However, production of interferon alpha was discontinued recently worldwide and pegylated interferon alpha-2a (PEG-IFN alpha) has been used as an alternative therapy. In contrast to numerous interferon alpha studies, only a few studies focusing on PEG-IFN alpha are available. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a retrospective data collection to report on the efficacy, adverse events and therapy regimens of PEG-IFN alpha in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In 28 patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma treated in Germany and in the Netherlands, 36% of patients achieved complete remission, 36% partial remission and 29% stable disease. Eighteen percent of patients developed adverse events during therapy, which led to the discontinuation of PEG-IFN alpha therapy in 2 patients. The most common concomittant therapies were oral PUVA phototherapy and local radiotherapy. In conclusion, PEG-IFN alpha, especially in combination with skin-directed therapies, is an effective treatment option for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma in clinical practice. Show less
