A study of anterior pituitary hormones secretion in patients with glioma receiving interferon-beta treatment

Abstract

Human interferon beta (IFN-beta) has been used for the treatment of patients with benign and malignant astrocytomas. The effect of IFN-beta on pituitary function, however, has not been precisely evaluated before. In this study the serum levels of various anterior pituitary hormones including GH, PRL, ACTH, and TSH were measured to determine the effects of IFN-beta on pituitary endocrine function in 19 consecutive glioma patients receiving IFN-beta. Daily doses of 3 x 10(6) U of IFN-beta were administered as a 30-min intravenous drip infusion beginning at 0800 h every morning during the first week and then 4 times a week for additional 6 weeks. Blood samples were taken on the day prior to administration as controls (0900 h and 1500 h), and on the first day of administration (0900 h and 1500 h) and after 7 days of administration (0900 h) in order to determine the acute and chronic or integrated effects of IFN-beta on the above pituitary hormones. No significant change in serum concentrations of any of the pituitary hormones examined was observed, suggesting that human natural IFN-beta used for the treatment of gliomas has no significant effect on the secretion of these hormones from the pituitary in these patients.