CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH LEVAMISOLE

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 32  (3) , 239-245
Abstract
Levamisole, an agent acting to enhance and normalize depressed cellular immunity and showing antitumor activity, was administered to patients with gastrointestinal cancer. It was given at a daily dose of 150 mg for 3 consecutive days every other week, starting 3 days before operating. The patients were evaluated for survival. Of the 143 patients (66 with curative resection, 40 with noncurative resection and 37 without resection) who received levamisole therapy for 1 mo. or more, 57 survived postoperatively 6 mo. and of 44 treated, 37 survived 1 yr. In this study, 185 patients with gastrointestinal cancer were used for comparison purposes. The 6 mo. survival rate was 100% (23/23) in the levamisole treated group and 95.3% (102/107) in the control group after curative resection (P > 0.5), 100% (23/23) and 90.5% (49/54) after noncurative resection (P < 0.01), and 72.5% (8/11) and 33.3% (9/24), respectively, in non-resectable patients (P < 0.01). The 1 yr survival rate was 100% (21/21) and 95.3% (102/107) after curative resection (P > 0.5), 77.8% (14/18) and 59.3% (32/54) after noncurative resection (0.05 < P < 0.1), and 40% (2/5) and 8.3% (2/24) in non-resectable patients (0.05 < P < 0.1) in the levamisole group and in the control group, respectively. The difference in survival rates between levamisole-treated and control groups was most prominent in the non-resectable patients, followed by those undergoing noncurative resection and curative resection.