Oberg, K · Digestion · 1996 · DOI
This 1996 study tested two medications—interferon-alpha and somatostatin—for treating neuroendocrine tumors (hormone-producing cancers). Interferon-alpha was found to cause fatigue and flu-like symptoms in patients, and in some cases led to low-grade chronic fatigue syndrome. When the two drugs were combined, they worked better together, improved symptoms, and were better tolerated than interferon alone.
This study is relevant to ME/CFS research because it explicitly documents that interferon-alpha treatment can induce 'low-grade chronic fatigue syndrome' as a side effect in neuroendocrine tumor patients. This observation contributes to understanding how interferon-based immune interventions may trigger or exacerbate fatigue conditions, which is important for evaluating immunological hypotheses in ME/CFS and assessing safety profiles of immunomodulatory therapies.
This study does not prove that interferon-alpha causes ME/CFS in the general population or that the fatigue induced in neuroendocrine tumor patients is mechanistically identical to ME/CFS. It is observational rather than controlled, involves a specific patient population with active malignancy, and does not include formal diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS or longitudinal follow-up data on fatigue persistence.
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
Oberg, K (1996). Interferon-alpha versus somatostatin or the combination of both in gastro-enteropancreatic tumours.. Digestion. https://doi.org/10.1159/000201403
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-oberg-1996-interferon-alpha,
author = {Oberg, K},
title = {Interferon-alpha versus somatostatin or the combination of both in gastro-enteropancreatic tumours.},
journal = {Digestion},
year = {1996},
doi = {10.1159/000201403},
note = {PubMed: 8813477},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/oberg-1996-interferon-alpha},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/oberg-1996-interferon-alpha
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.