[Evaluation of immunochemotherapy in patients with primary liver cancer. Osaka Research Society for Liver, Gallbladder and Pancreas].
The effectiveness of BRM (biological response modifier) for primary liver cancer was investigated in a prospective randomized and well controlled study. The protocol consisted of 3 groups: 1) Tegafur oral administration only, 2) OK-432 i.v. plus Tegafur, and 3) PSK oral application plus Tegafur. One hundred seventy-two Japanese patients were entered. The results revealed that BRM addition was more effective than Tegafur therapy alone with regard to tumor regression and the results of clinical examinations, but that there was no difference in subjective symptoms between the use of BRM and the other regimes. As to prognosis, patients given PSK survived longer than those given Tegafur alone, but OK-432 group had the same survival rate as the other two groups as a whole. The relationship among the three groups with regard to survival time, was similar to that of their respective total efficacies. Between the three groups, there was a significant difference in the incidence of adverse effects. The difference was sustained with the occurrence of fever symptoms as a result of OK-432 stimulation, with and BRM therapy decreased the gastro-intestinal side effects in comparison with the control group.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010844:Picibanil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012882:Skin Tests; D005641:Tegafur / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D001688:Biological Products; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D011509:Proteoglycans; C030193:immunosuppressive acidic protein; D005641:Tegafur; D010844:Picibanil; C010770:polysaccharide-K