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Effect
of Krestin as adjuvant treatment following radical radiotherapy in non-small
cell lung cancer patients
Hayakawa K, Mitsuhashi N, Saito Y, Nakayama Y, Furuta M, Nakamoto S,
Kawashima M, Niibe H
Department of Radiology and Radiation Oncology, Gunma
University School of Medicine, Japan
To evaluate the efficacy of Krestin (PSK) as adjuvant treatment after
radical radiation therapy (RT) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), treatment
results of 225 patients with NSCLC treated with RT followed by adjuvant
administration of PSK between 1976 and 1989 were analyzed.
Of these patients, 170 (76%) had squamous cell carcinoma.
In the patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, PSK was given only
when the tumor showed satisfactory shrinkage (complete or partial response)
after completion of RT.
The treatment outcomes were compared with those of the responders to RT not
receiving PSK.
The 5-year survival rates of patients with stages I-II and stage III disease
were 39 and 26%, respectively, while the non-administered responder group's were
17 and 8%.
These differences are statistically significant.
An improvement in the treatment results with combined use of appropriate immuno-modulating
drugs is anticipated in the future.
When clinical trials of the efficacy of these drugs are conducted, the agents
should be given to the patients with satisfactory tumor regression after RT,
although they still take much time and cost.
PMID:
9043766 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Source:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9043766&dopt=Abstract
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