Thymosin in cancer patients: in vitro effects and correlations with clinical response to thymosin immunotherapy.
Studies on the effect of thymosin on T-cell levels in vitro among normal persons and cancer patients show that, in general, T-cell levels increase after incubation with thymosin in populations with low initial T-cell levels while the levels decrease in populations with high initial T-cell levels. In patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung receiving intensive chemotherapy also randomized to receive thymosin at a dose of 60 mg/m2, thymosin at a dose of 20 mg/m2, or placebo twice weekly, increased survival occurred in patients receiving the thymosin dose of 60 mg/m2. The increase in survival was greatest in patients with low pretreatment T-cell and alpha2HS-glycoprotein levels. These observations suggest that the cancer patients most likely to benefit therapeutically from adjuvant treatment with thymosin are those with relatively low initial T-cell levels and other parameters of cellular immunity.
D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D013947:Thymosin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013951:Thymus Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*
D006023:Glycoproteins; D013951:Thymus Hormones; D013947:Thymosin