title: Thymostimulin effect on the immune response in pulmonary carcinoma with or without surgical treatment.
abstract: Experience with 54 patients affected by pulmonary carcinoma treated or not with surgery and undergoing thymostimulin administration during long-term follow-up (70 mg i.m. every other day for 3 months), is reported. Drug intolerance was observed in 5.5% of cases. In patients who were able to complete the therapeutic cycle (50 cases) objective improvement of Performance Status was obtained in 46% of cases and subjective improvement in nearly 90%. The course of neoplastic disease showed definite progression (presence of local recurrence or distant metastasis) in 20% of cases, remission in 6%. No case of onset of pulmonary or extrapulmonary infections was observed. After treatment, a significant increase (between 24% and 108%) in blood parameters (circulation lymphocytes, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, IgG, IgA, IgM) was observed in 28-56% of cases. As for CD4 increase, this was accompanied by concomitantly positive Merieaux test in 44.5% of cases. Quiescence or complete remission has appeared to occur together with high CD16 values, progression with high CD8 and low CD16 values.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Surgery, La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cangemi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Volpino
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: D'Andrea
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gentili
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salsano
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rivi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ippoliti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piat
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007369:Interferon Inducers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000473:pathology; D013949:Thymus Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007369:Interferon Inducers; D013949:Thymus Extracts; C031407:thymostimulin