Direct, Indirect, and Synergy with Other Treatment Modalities.

The article discusses various mechanisms by which Interferons (IFN) may act to inhibit or eradicate tumor targets, and surveys the clinical efficacy of IFNs against a number of malignancies. Interferons have been demonstrated to exert their antitumor effects through a number of direct and indirect mechanisms. While IFN alpha has been clinically tested against a wide range of tumors with very promising therapeutic results and acceptable toxicities in cases like hairy-cell leukemia, laryngeal papillomatosis and condyloma acuminatum, other tumors have shown little to no response to this IFN like tumors of the stomach, colon, lung, breast, and bone.