Table I.
The patients' clinical and haematological characteristics.
| Characteristic |
Group A (n = 21, 28%) |
Group B (n = 25, 34%) |
Group C (n = 28, 38%) |
Total (n = 74, 100%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at diagnosis, years, median (range) | 69 (61–96) | 53 (33–63) | 51·5 (29–82) | 58·5 (29–96) |
| HCL/HCLv, n | 18/3 | 22/3 | 24/4 | 64/10 |
| Male/female, n | 17/4 | 22/3 | 18/10 | 58/16 |
| Age at INFα start, years, median (range) | 73 (65–96) | 53 (33–63) | 60·5 (31–90) | 61(31–96) |
| Hb at IFNα start, g/l, median (range) | 125 (84–154) | 113 (75–145) | 119 (100–158) | 115 (84–158) |
| WBC at IFNα start, × 109/l, median (range) | 3.8 (1.6–32.6) | 3.1 (1.68–11.0) | 3.15 (1.47–12.6) | 3.16 (1.47–32.6) |
| Neutrophils at IFNα start, × 109/l, median (range) | 1.5 (0.25–4.0) | 1.0 (0.59–2.79) | 1.4 (0.28–4.7) | 1.6 (0.25–4.7) |
| Platelets at IFNα start, × 109/l, median (range) | 94 (23–178) | 76 (36–234) | 95 (25–217) | 95 (23–217) |
| Bone marrow infiltration at IFN start, %, median (range) | 60 (30–90) | 65 (35–90) | 35 (5x–70) | 55 (5x–90) |
| Spleen size, cm, median (range) | 14·5 (10–25) | 15 (10–20) | 12 (10–16) | 14 (10–25) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index score at IFNα start | 4·7 | 3 | 3·5 | 3·5 |
| IFNα schedule: continuous/12 months, n | 19/2 | 19/6 | 26/2 | 64/10 |
| Duration of therapy, months, median (range) | 61 (5–214) | 75 (3–228) | 99 (4–230) | 82 (3–230) |
| BRAF tested after treatment, n | 6 | 7 | 9 | 22 |
| Treatment results, n (%) | ||||
| Response at 12 months (ORR) | 19 (90) | 24 (96) | 27 (96) | 70 (94) |
| CR rate at 12 months | 6 (28) | 4 (16) | 8 (28) | 18 (24) |
| PR rate at 12 months | 13 (62) | 20 (80) | 19 (68) | 52 (70) |
| NR rate at 12 months | 2 (9) | 1(3) | 1 (3) | 4 (5) |
BRAF, B‐Raf proto‐oncogene, serine/threonine kinase; CR, complete response; Hb, haemoglobin; HCL(v); hairy cell leukaemia (variant); IFNα, interferon‐alpha; NR, no response; ORR, overall response rate, PR, partial response; WBC, white blood cells.