Cutaneous Interferon Production in Patients with Hodgkin's Disease and Other Cancers Infected with Varicella or Vaccinia

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Thirteen of 14 persons without cancer produced at least 1000 U per 4 ml of vesicle-fluid interferon (VF-IF) during varicella infection (that is, herpes zoster or chicken pox). Three of seven patients with cancer in whom varicella infections developed were leukopenic and produced less than 100 U per 4 ml. These three patients had further viral spread, and two of them died from the infection. One of them was treated with an interferon inducer, polyinosinic acid-polycytidylic acid, without increasing interferon levels or clinical improvement. The other four patients were not leukopenic and had interferon levels greater than 1000 U per 4 ml when studied late during the infection, and all recovered. Between 30 and 170 U per 4 ml of interferon were demonstrated from crust extracts of three patients recovering from serious complications of smallpox vaccination. The ability to produce high levels of cutaneous interferon, perhaps related to white-cell function, may be important in determining the outcome of varicella infections.
Keywords