title: [Clinical observation of thermotherapy combined with thoracic injection of lentinan in treatment of cancerous hydrothorax of patients with lung cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the therapeutic effect and mechanism of thermotherapy combined with thoracic injection of lentinan in treatment of cancerous hydrothorax (CH) in patients with lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty lung cancer patients complicated with CH were randomly assigned to the observation group and the control group, 30 in each. CH was released by closed drainage of the thoracic cavity in all patients. Thermotherapy was given to patients in the observation group after lentinan was thoracically injected, while lentinan was thoracically injected to patients in the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total effective rate of CH improvement was 73.3% (22/30) in the control group and 83.3% (25/30) in the observation group, showing insignificant difference (P>0.05). The stability rate and the weight stability rate by Karnofsky's performance scoring in the observation group were superior to those of the control group, showing significant difference (P<0.05). No hematological reaction, hepatic or renal damage occurred before and after treatment in both groups. Fever, thoracalgia, dyspnea, rash, nausea and vomit appeared in few patients of the two groups, showing insignificant difference (P>0.05). CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and NK obviously increased and CD8+ decreased in the observation group after treatment, showing significant difference from those before treatment (P<0.05). Compared with the control group after treatment, CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and NK obviously increased, CD8+ increased in the observation group (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thermotherapy combined with thoracic injection of lentinan showed better effect in treatment of CH in patients with lung cancer. No obvious adverse reaction was seen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193.
authors.forename: Xiao-jiang
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ying-jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006876:Hydrothorax / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D007267:Injections; D007912:Lentinan / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D007912:Lentinan