The Safety and Effectiveness of Interferon Alfa-2B Plus Didanosine in Patients With Kaposi's Sarcoma

Summary

Primary: To evaluate the safety, toxicity, and antitumor activity of two doses of interferon alfa-2b (IFN-alpha) combined with a fixed dose of didanosine (ddI) in patients with Kaposi's sarcoma associated with HIV infection. Secondary: To evaluate the effects of combined IFN-alpha and ddI treatment on HIV expression and markers of immune function. Previous studies have shown that IFN-alpha can induce regression of Kaposi's sarcoma and suppression of HIV in some patients. Although various trials using IFN-alpha in combination with the nucleoside analogue zidovudine have demonstrated a high degree of antitumor activity and evidence of HIV suppression, the overlapping toxicity (primarily neutropenia) of these two agents has proven dose-limiting. The toxicity profile of ddI suggests that this drug may be better tolerated than zidovudine when combined with IFN-alpha.

Timeline

Start

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Primary completion

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Completion

2000-03

Publications

• Background Krown SE, Li P, Von Roenn JH, Paredes J, Huang J, Testa MA. Efficacy of low-dose interferon with antiretroviral therapy in Kaposi's sarcoma: a randomized phase II AIDS clinical trials group study. J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2002 Mar;22(3):295-303. doi: 10.1089/107999002753675712.

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