I am posting this because the Interferon that I took for treatment of Melanoma seemed to cure my PAP and I want to put it out there to patients as a possible treatment.
I was diagnosed with PAP in October of 2000 and had my first set of lavages that month. I had another set of lavages in December of 2002 and was getting ready to need my third set in October of 2005 when I was diagnosed with Stage Three Internal Melanoma. The cancer was in my neck in two lymph nodes and they were removed in October 2005. My course of treatment after that was Interferon infusion and started it on December 5, 2005. My first set of scans were on April 26, 2006 and they showed that I was clear of Melanoma AND PAP! I have been on a lower dose of interferon since then and have had no reoccurrence. I told my doctor (Dr. Paul Lanken) at University of Pennsylvania and because I was the only one he'd heard this happening to, he wasn't able to push any research. Several of my doctors feel that the Interferon put my PAP in remission, so I want to put it out there for PAP patients to know.
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Chris Hameetman
Sep 24, 2018
@Dawn Burtone Fascinating! Thank you for sharing. Did your doctor (or any other doctors you discussed this with) have a hypothesis as to WHY interferon would work to cure or put PAP into remission? Any logical dot-connecting?
Dawn Burtone
Sep 24, 2018
My doctors actually thought it would get worse because the Interferon is an autoimmune booster. All of my other autoimmune diseases got worse (Hypothyroidism and Vitiligo), so it is really odd that the PAP didn't get worse and actually went away. I do remember that at the time, GMCSF was part of a cocktail used in a trial to treat Melanoma, so that made me think "wow, can you imagine if my treatment for Melanoma helps my PAP?" But I never went on the trial with the GMCSF in it and used the Interferon instead, so I never gave it another thought - that is, until my scans came back clear of everything only 4 1/2 months after starting the Interferon.
Chris Hameetman
Sep 24, 2018
Thank you @Dawn Burtone ! Very interesting and I am so glad you are PAP-free.
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@Dawn Burtone Fascinating! Thank you for sharing. Did your doctor (or any other doctors you discussed this with) have a hypothesis as to WHY interferon would work to cure or put PAP into remission? Any logical dot-connecting?
My doctors actually thought it would get worse because the Interferon is an autoimmune booster. All of my other autoimmune diseases got worse (Hypothyroidism and Vitiligo), so it is really odd that the PAP didn't get worse and actually went away. I do remember that at the time, GMCSF was part of a cocktail used in a trial to treat Melanoma, so that made me think "wow, can you imagine if my treatment for Melanoma helps my PAP?" But I never went on the trial with the GMCSF in it and used the Interferon instead, so I never gave it another thought - that is, until my scans came back clear of everything only 4 1/2 months after starting the Interferon.
Thank you @Dawn Burtone ! Very interesting and I am so glad you are PAP-free.