CHRONIC ACTIVE HEPATITIS B. INTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 2.5 TO 5 MILLION UNITS/M2 THREE TIMES WEEKLY BY SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION FOR 4 TO 6 MONTHS. PEGINTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 180 MICROGRAMS ONCE WEEKLY SUBCUTANEOUSLY FOR 48 WEEKS. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 5 TO 10 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR 4 TO 6 MONTHS, OR 5 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR 16 WEEKS, BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION. INTERFERON ALFA-N1 IS GIVEN EITHER IN DOSES OF 10 TO 15 MILLION UNITS (TO A MAXIMUM OF 7.5 MILLION UNITS/M2) THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS, OR 5 TO 10 MILLION UNITS (TO A MAXIMUM OF 5 MILLION UNITS/M2) THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR UP TO 6 MONTHS, BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION. AN INITIAL ESCALATING DOSING SCHEDULE, USUALLY OVER 5 DAYS, MAY IMPROVE TOLERANCE.
CHRONIC HEPATITIS C. INTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 3 TO 4.5 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION FOR 6 MONTHS WHEN IT IS USED WITH RIBAVIRIN. IN PATIENTS UNABLE TO TOLERATE RIBAVIRIN, INTERFERON ALFA-2A MONOTHERAPY IS GIVEN EITHER IN AN INITIAL DOSE OF 3 TO 6 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR 6 MONTHS FOLLOWED BY 3 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR AN ADDITIONAL 6 MONTHS, OR IN A DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR 12 MONTHS, BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION. PEGINTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 180 MICROGRAMS ONCE WEEKLY SUBCUTANEOUSLY, WITH RIBAVIRIN OR AS MONOTHERAPY, FOR UP TO 48 WEEKS. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR 6 TO 12 MONTHS WITH RIBAVIRIN OR, WHEN GIVEN AS MONOTHERAPY, FOR 12 TO 18 MONTHS, OR FOR UP TO 24 MONTHS, BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION. PEGINTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN SUBCUTANEOUSLY IN A DOSE OF 1.5 MICROGRAMS/KG ONCE WEEKLY FOR 6 TO 12 MONTHS WITH RIBAVIRIN, OR IN A DOSE OF 0.5 OR 1 MICROGRAM/KG ONCE WEEKLY FOR 6 TO 12 MONTHS WHEN GIVEN AS MONOTHERAPY. INTERFERON ALFA-N1 IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 3 OR 5 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR 48 WEEKS BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION. INTERFERON ALFACON-1 IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 9 MICROGRAMS THREE TIMES WEEKLY BY SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION FOR 24 WEEKS FOLLOWED BY 15 MICROGRAMS THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR UP TO 48 WEEKS IF NECESSARY.
AIDS-RELATED KAPOSI'S SARCOMA. INTERFERON ALFA-2A IS USUALLY GIVEN IN AN ESCALATING DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR 3 DAYS, 9 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR 3 DAYS, 18 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR 3 DAYS, AND 36 MILLION UNITS DAILY, IF TOLERATED, ON DAYS 10 TO 84, BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION; THEREAFTER THE MAXIMUM TOLERATED DOSE (UP TO 36 MILLION UNITS) MAY BE GIVEN THREE TIMES WEEKLY. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 30 MILLION UNITS/M2 THREE TIMES WEEKLY, BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION.
HAIRY-CELL LEUKAEMIA. INTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN IN AN INITIAL DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR 16 TO 24 WEEKS, THEN THE SAME DOSE THREE TIMES WEEKLY, BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION. TREATMENT HAS CONTINUED FOR UP TO 20 MONTHS. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 2 MILLION UNITS/M2 THREE TIMES WEEKLY BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION FOR UP TO 6 MONTHS OR MORE. INTERFERON ALFA-N1 IS GIVEN IN AN INITIAL DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS DAILY BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION, COMMONLY FOR 12 TO 16 WEEKS, THEN THE SAME DOSE THREE TIMES WEEKLY THEREAFTER. ALTERNATIVE DOSES OF 2 MILLION UNITS/M2 OR 0.2 MILLION UNITS/M2 OF INTERFERON ALFA-N1 HAVE ALSO BEEN TRIED. TREATMENT MAY CONTINUE FOR 6 MONTHS OR MORE.
CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKAEMIA. INTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION IN AN ESCALATING DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR 3 DAYS, 6 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR 3 DAYS, AND 9 MILLION UNITS DAILY THEREAFTER. PATIENTS SHOWING A RESPONSE AFTER 12 WEEKS SHOULD CONTINUE TREATMENT UNTIL A COMPLETE HAEMATOLOGICAL RESPONSE IS ACHIEVED OR FOR A MAXIMUM OF 18 MONTHS; THOSE WHO ACHIEVE A COMPLETE HAEMATOLOGICAL RESPONSE SHOULD CONTINUE ON 9 MILLION UNITS DAILY (OR A MINIMUM OF 9 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY) IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE A CYTOGENETIC RESPONSE. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 4 TO 5 MILLION UNITS/M2 DAILY BY SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION, CONTINUING AT THE MAXIMUM TOLERATED DOSE TO MAINTAIN REMISSION (USUALLY 4 TO 5 MILLION UNITS/M2 DAILY). INTERFERON ALFA-N1 IS GIVEN, ONCE THE WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT HAS BEEN CONTROLLED BY CYTOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY, IN A DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR THREE WEEKS BY SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION. THE DOSE IS THEN ADJUSTED TO MAINTAIN A SUITABLE LEUCOCYTE COUNT (TYPICALLY ABOUT 20 MILLION UNITS/WEEK). DOSES OF 3 OR 6 MILLION UNITS (OCCASIONALLY 9 MILLION UNITS) DAILY HAVE BEEN USED TO ACHIEVE INITIAL CONTROL OF THE WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT.
FOLLICULAR LYMPHOMA. INTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN AS AN ADJUNCT TO CHEMOTHERAPY IN A DOSE OF 6 MILLION UNITS/M2 DAILY BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION ON DAYS 22 TO 26 OF EACH 28-DAY CHEMOTHERAPY CYCLE. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN AS AN ADJUNCT TO CHEMOTHERAPY IN A DOSE OF 5 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY BY SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION FOR 18 MONTHS.
CUTANEOUS T-CELL LYMPHOMA. INTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION IN AN ESCALATING DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR 3 DAYS, THEN 9 MILLION UNITS DAILY FOR 3 DAYS, AND THEN 18 MILLION UNITS DAILY TO COMPLETE 12 WEEKS OF TREATMENT. THE MAXIMUM TOLERATED DOSE (UP TO 18 MILLION UNITS) IS THEN GIVEN THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR A MINIMUM OF 12 MONTHS IN RESPONDING PATIENTS.
CARCINOID TUMOURS. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 3 TO 9 MILLION UNITS (USUALLY 5 MILLION UNITS) THREE TIMES WEEKLY BY SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION. IN ADVANCED DISEASE, 5 MILLION UNITS MAY BE GIVEN DAILY.
MELANOMA. INTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION FOR 18 MONTHS. TREATMENT SHOULD START NO LATER THAN 6 WEEKS AFTER SURGERY. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN IN AN INITIAL DOSE OF 20 MILLION UNITS/M2 DAILY ON 5 DAYS EACH WEEK FOR 4 WEEKS BY INTRAVENOUS INFUSION OVER 20 MINUTES, AND THEN FOR MAINTENANCE 10 MILLION UNITS/M2 THREE TIMES WEEKLY BY SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION FOR 48 WEEKS.
MULTIPLE MYELOMA. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN AS MAINTENANCE TREATMENT FOLLOWING CHEMOTHERAPY INDUCTION AT A DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS/M2 THREE TIMES WEEKLY BY SUBCUTANEOUS INJECTION.
RENAL CELL CARCINOMA. INTERFERON ALFA-2A IS GIVEN AS AN ADJUNCT TO CYTOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY IN AN ESCALATING DOSE OF 3 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR ONE WEEK, THEN 9 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR ONE WEEK, THEN 18 MILLION UNITS THREE TIMES WEEKLY THEREAFTER FOR 3 TO 12 MONTHS, BY SUBCUTANEOUS OR INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTION.
CONDYLOMATA ACUMINATA. INTERFERON ALFA-2B IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 1 MILLION UNITS INJECTED INTO EACH LESION THREE TIMES WEEKLY FOR 3 WEEKS, AND REPEATED AFTER 12 TO 16 WEEKS IF NECESSARY. NO MORE THAN 5 LESIONS SHOULD BE TREATED IN EACH TREATMENT COURSE, BUT COURSES FOR ADDITIONAL LESIONS MAY RUN SEQUENTIALLY. INTERFERON ALFA-N3 IS GIVEN IN A DOSE OF 0.25 MILLION UNITS PER LESION TWICE WEEKLY FOR UP TO 8 WEEKS, TO A MAXIMUM OF 2.5 MILLION UNITS IN EACH SESSION.