Eight patients were treated with
leukocyte interferon for a variety of neurological
malignancies that had failed or recurred after conventional
therapy. Three patients with malignant
astrocytoma received intratumoral
interferon in dosages up to 9 million units 3X/week, with total dosages of up to 160 million units.
Interferon was administered intraventricularly in 4 patients with leptomeningeal
metastases and one patient with multiple
brain metastases. Dosages increased from 1 to 10 million units 3X/week, and total dosages of up to 113 million units were given intraventricularly. Acute side effects of
fever,
nausea,
vomiting, and
headache occurred almost exclusively with
intraventricular injections, and these subsided after the initial injection.
Fatigue, loss of appetite,
weight loss, and hematologic toxicity developed a few weeks after onset of treatment, independent of the dose given. A modest
tumor regression was seen on CT scans of one patient with a malignant
astrocytoma, who was treated with
interferon for 8 months. In all 4 patients with leptomeningeal
metastases, the CSF became free of malignant cells for 6 to 10 weeks, while clinical improvement was less dramatic.