Clinical improvement in advanced cancer disease after treatment combining histamine and H2-antihistaminics (ranitidine or cimetidine).
In a randomized study 31 patients with advanced cancer disease in whom classical anticancer therapy had been abandoned received a daily combination of subcutaneous histamine and oral H2-antihistaminics. In 27 patients, treatment induced a marked clinical improvement as shown by a large rise in performance status (Karnofsky scale). Ten patients were still alive 3-14 months after initiation of treatment. Average survival in the 31 treated patients (172 +/- 113 days) was significantly longer than in 34 non-treated patients with similar advanced cancer (26 +/- 16 days, P less than 0.00001). In six treated patients, the size of liver and lung metastases decreased. Histamine was perfectly tolerated up to 4 mg/day.
Burtin
C
C
U 200, Faculté de Médecine Necker--Enfants Malades, Paris, France.
Noirot
C
C
Scheinmann
P
P
Galoppin
L
L
Sabolovic
D
D
Bernard
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006632:Histamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011897:Random Allocation; D011899:Ranitidine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D002927:Cimetidine; D006632:Histamine; D011899:Ranitidine