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  • Title: [Interferons, a class of cytokines with a large therapeutic activity range].
    Author: Billard C.
    Journal: Bull Cancer; 1993 Sep; 80(9):741-56. PubMed ID: 7515733.
    Abstract:
    Initially discovered as antiviral agents, the interferons (IFNs) proved to be a class of cytokines with multifunctional properties, including inhibition of cell growth and modulation of immune functions. A number of clinical trials were thus carried out in cancer and viral diseases, and IFN-alpha therapy was shown to have a wide range of indications in hematology and dermatology: B-cell malignancies (hairy cell leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma), myeloproliferations (chronic myeloid leukemia, thrombocytosis), cutaneous T lymphoma, basal-cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Kaposi's sarcoma. IFN therapy also showed efficacy in viral tumors (condyloma acuminatum and laryngeal papillomatosis) and chronic hepatitis B and C. The antitumoral action of IFN-alpha mainly involves its capacity to inhibit cell proliferation, partly via antagonistic effects on growth factors. The elucidation of IFN-alpha signalling pathway(s) leading to gene activation, a better understanding of the interactions between IFN-alpha and cytokine network, and the development of combination therapy with other biological treatments or chemotherapy should greatly improve the clinical use of IFNs.
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