Meadows, L M, Walther, P, Ozer, H · Seminars in oncology · 1991
This study tested a cancer treatment combining two drugs (5-fluorouracil and interferon alfa-2b) in 17 patients. One side effect observed was chronic fatigue syndrome, which forced doctors to reduce the interferon dose in some patients. The study found the drug combination showed promise against certain cancers, but it also caused significant side effects including fatigue, mouth sores, and other complications.
This study is relevant to ME/CFS research because it documents chronic fatigue syndrome as a direct iatrogenic (treatment-induced) outcome in cancer patients receiving interferon alfa-2b therapy. Understanding how exogenous interferon triggers fatigue may provide mechanistic insights into ME/CFS pathophysiology, particularly regarding interferon-alpha's role in immune dysregulation and post-exertional malaise.
This study does not prove that interferon alfa-2b causes ME/CFS in the general population or that all patients receiving interferon develop post-exertional malaise. The fatigue observed was associated with high-dose oncologic therapy in a small, acutely ill population and may not generalize to the chronic multifactorial disease process in ME/CFS. Correlation between interferon exposure and fatigue does not establish the underlying biological mechanisms of ME/CFS.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Meadows, L M, Walther, P, & Ozer, H (1991). alpha-Interferon and 5-fluorouracil: possible mechanisms of antitumor action.. Seminars in oncology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1948133/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-meadows-1991-alpha-interferon,
author = {Meadows, L M and Walther, P and Ozer, H},
title = {alpha-Interferon and 5-fluorouracil: possible mechanisms of antitumor action.},
journal = {Seminars in oncology},
year = {1991},
note = {PubMed: 1948133},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/meadows-1991-alpha-interferon},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/meadows-1991-alpha-interferon
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