• response [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Biological: recombinant interferon alfa
first 2 years
Drug: dexamethasone
40 mg*/d PO 1 - 4, 9 - 12, 17-20 q 35 days for 3 cycles*

OBJECTIVES:

• Evaluate M protein and organ dysfunction responses and overall and progression-free survival in patients with primary systemic amyloidosis treated with dexamethasone/interferon alfa.
• Identify prognostic factors that may relate to response and overall survival in these patients.
• Evaluate the qualitative and quantitative toxic effects of this regimen.

OUTLINE: Patients are stratified by prior amyloidosis treatment (yes vs no).

All patients receive induction therapy with oral dexamethasone on days 1-4, 9-12, and 17-20 every 35 days for a total of 3 courses.

Maintenance therapy begins within 5-8 weeks (within 10 weeks if patients undergo stem cell harvest) of initiation of the third course of induction, as follows: oral dexamethasone for 4 days every 4 weeks; and subcutaneous interferon alfa 3 times per week. Patients who achieved less than a 50% reduction in serum M protein or urinary Bence-Jones protein and who experienced less than grade 3 toxicity during induction receive 3 additional courses of pulse dexamethasone concurrently with entry to maintenance therapy and the initiation of interferon alfa.

Combination therapy is continued until 2 years from entry; thereafter, interferon is administered alone for at least 3 years, toxicity permitting. Patients with stable disease after 5 years of therapy may discontinue interferon alfa at the discretion of the treating physician.

Patients are followed every 6 months for 2 years and yearly thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 100 patients (50 with prior melphalan/prednisone or iododoxorubicin treatment and 50 without) will be entered over 3 years.