EFFECTS OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN INTERLEUKIN-3 IN PATIENTS WITH NORMAL HEMATOPOIESIS AND IN PATIENTS WITH BONE-MARROW FAILURE

  • 15 August 1990
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 76  (4) , 666-676
Abstract
In a phase I/II study, 19 patients with advanced tumors but normal hematopoiesis and nine patients with bone marrow failure and prolonged severe cytopenias were treated with recombinant human interleukin-3 (rhIL-3) to assess the toxicity and biological effects of this multipotential hematopoietic growth factor. Doses ranging from 30 .mu.g/m2 to 500 .mu.g/m2 were administered as subcutaneous bolus injection daily for 15 days. A dose-dependent increase in platelet counts ranging from 1.3-fold at 60 .mu.g/m2 to 1.9-fold at 250 .mu.g/m2 was induced by rhIL-3 in 15 of 18 evaluable patients with normal hematopoiesis. An increase in reticulocyte counts was observed in 14 patients. The blood leukocyte counts dose dependently increased 1.4- to 3.0-fold. In patients with bone marrow failure, platelet counts increased by a mean of sixfold (range, 1.3-fold to 14.3-fold) in five of eight evaluable patients. Reticulocyte counts increased 4.4-fold in six patients, and neutrophil counts increased by a mean of 3.1-fold in all eight patients. Platelet transfusions could be discontinued after treatment with rhIL-3 in two of three transfusion-dependent patients. Only milk side effects, mainly fever, headache, and flushing, were observed. These results indicate that rhIL-3 functions as a multilineage hematopoietin in vivo in patients with normal bone marrow function and in patients with secondary bone marrow failure.

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