Preliminary results of combined surgery and adjuvant Bacillus Calmette-Guérin plus levamisole treatment of resectable lung cancer.
The administration of intrapleural bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) alone and intrapleural BCG plus levamisole was compared to placebo in patients with resectable, non-small cell cancer of the lung. This report is based on an interim analysis of 100 eligible patients with a median followup of 245 days. No significant treatment effects are apparent at the present time, although current trends are consistent with an approximate 30% reduction in recurrence rate in patients receiving intrapleural BCG. There is little evidence to suggest that the addition of levamisole will contribute to this effect. A relationship between purified protein derivative conversion and tumor recurrence is apparent. Failure to manifest purified protein derivative conversion following administration of intrapleural BCG is associated with a significantly greater risk of tumor recurrence.
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000628:therapy; D000368:Aged; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000628:therapy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000628:therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects; D007978:Levamisole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D014374:Tuberculin Test
D001500:BCG Vaccine; D007978:Levamisole