Tsoussis S, Ekonomidou F, Vourliotaki E, Karalis I, Dermitzakis A. Successful treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura-like syndrome in a cancer patient with low-dose interferon: case report and review of the literature.
Am J Hematol 2004;
76:353-9. [PMID:
15282668 DOI:
10.1002/ajh.20116]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)-like syndrome is a rare complication of carcinomas, and its treatment usually precedes cancer therapy in order to make further procedures safe. We describe the case of a 78-year-old man with a small-cell lung cancer of extended stage, associated with ITP-like syndrome, which proved resistant to treatment with corticosteroids and vincristine, short-responsive to IV immunoglobulin, but quickly and steadily responsive to low-dose interferon (ld IFN, 3 million IU, sc, twice weekly, for 8 weeks), until the patient's death, due to his primarily chemoresistant cancer. This case is, to our knowledge, the second reported ITP-like syndrome in a cancer patient who had been successfully treated with ld IFN. The excellent and cost-effective therapeutic index of ld IFN makes it an attractive alternative treatment in patients with this specific complication and calls for further investigation regarding its potential use as a first-line treatment.
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