Treatment of basal cell carcinoma of the nasal pyramid with intralesional interferon alfa-2b.

For patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in whom surgical intervention is not optimal, local treatment with interferon alfa-2b is an alternative. In this study, patients with BCC of the nasal pyramid were treated with intralesional interferon alfa-2b (five million international units three times per week) for four to eight weeks. Cutaneous biopsies were performed before and after treatment for histologic examination. Twelve patients, primarily with the infiltrative histologic form (80%), were treated. Complete clinical and histologic regression was confirmed in all cases, and the aesthetic results were excellent. After four years' follow-up, no tumor persistence was observed in any patient. The most frequent adverse events were transient, mild-to-moderate flu-like symptoms in 95% of patients and asymptomatic leukopenia or neutropenia in 25%. These results suggest that intralesional interferon alfa-2b is a safe and effective nonsurgical alternative approach to treat BCC of the nasal pyramid.