Immune Thrombocytopenia Following α-Interferon Therapy in Patients With Cancer

Peter McLaughlin, Moshe Talpaz, Jorge R. Quesada, Abdus Saleem, Barthel Barlogie, Jordan U. Gutterman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

74 Scopus citations

Abstract

Immune thrombocytopenia occurred in five patients with cancer receiving α-interferon. The median pretreatment platelet count was 217,000/cu mm, which fell to a median of 12,000/cu mm after a median of 25 days of interferon therapy. All had normal numbers of megakaryocytes, with dysplasia noted in three; all four who were tested had platelet-associated immunoglobulin. All had normalization of platelet counts with prednisone therapy. Four tolerated re-treatment with interferon, two with concurrent prednisone administration and two others following splenectomy. Immune thrombocytopenia should be considered in patients who become thrombocytopenic during interferon therapy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1353-1354
Number of pages2
JournalJAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association
Volume254
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Sep 1985
Externally publishedYes

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