Interferon Cancer Treatment

Interferon is a protein produced naturally by the body known as a cytokine. It is made by the white blood cells to fight off infection and inflammation. While interferon therapy is commonly used to fight against some viral infections the FDA has also approved interferon treatment to shrink tumors in patients with multiple myeloma, some leukemia and malignant melanoma.

Melanoma

• According to the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, recent studies have shown that interferon has helped people with melanoma. In most instances, people with one or more infected lymph nodes will experience a recurrence of the cancer about 80 percent of the time. Studies have proven that interferon therapy has helped lower that number by 10 to 15 percent. Most often, interferon therapy is administered for 12 months before it completely wards off tumors.

Side Effects

• One drawback to interferon therapy is that it comes with many side effects. Most often, you will feel exhausted and fatigued during initial therapy. Fever and chills are also very common. Your doctor may advise you to take Tylenol a few hours before therapy. You may also experience bouts of diarrhea a few times per day during the course of treatment. Other common side effects of interferon treatment include headaches, nausea, lack of appetite and depression.

Costs

• Since interferon is not considered an experimental treatment, most insurance companies should cover costs. Of course, it is important to talk to your insurance provider before committing to interferon therapy to make sure they will cover it. If you do not have insurance, or your coverage won't pay for interferon, try contacting the company that produces the therapy since help is sometimes available for those with financial need.