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Alternating immunochemotherapy of advanced gastric carcinoma: A randomized comparison of carbazilquinone and PSK to carbazilquinone in patients with curative gastric resection

  • Published:
Biotherapy

Abstract

A total of 103 patients with advanced gastric carcinoma were randomized after curative surgery to receive an alternate administration of carbazilquinone (CQ and PSK (Krestin) or carbazilquinone alone. Each course of therapies started 1 week after the surgical operation and therapy schedules consisted of 9 courses. In each course of 6 weeks, CQ (2 mg/m2/week) was administered on day 0, 8, and 15. In combined immunochemotherapy group, PSK was given orally in 3-divided doses of 2 g/m2/day from the day of the third CQ administration for consecutive 4 weeks. Estimated survival rate and cumulative survival curve were compared utilizing the data up to 7 years after the operation. There was no overall significant difference in survival rates between the CQ plus PSK group and the CQ alone group, but a group of patients whose disease was classified as S1 + S2(N1–2) survived significantly longer when treated with the combination of CQ and PSK. Neither in more advanced cases (> S3 or > N3) nor in cancers of early stages, the addition of PSK provided an additive effect. The favorable result obtained in one subgroup treated with PSK, suggests that the use of this agent in treating gastric cancers should be carefully evaluated in terms of serosal infiltration and nodal metastasis.

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Abbreviations

CQ:

carbazilquinone

PSK:

Krestin

BRM:

biological response modifier

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tokai Central Hospital, Sohara, 504, Kakamihara-city, Japan

    Tatsuhei Kondo MD

  2. The Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Aichi, Cancer Center, Aichi, Japan

    Junichi Sakamoto & Hiroaki Nakazato

Authors
  1. Tatsuhei Kondo MD
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  2. Junichi Sakamoto
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  3. Hiroaki Nakazato
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Kondo, T., Sakamoto, J. & Nakazato, H. Alternating immunochemotherapy of advanced gastric carcinoma: A randomized comparison of carbazilquinone and PSK to carbazilquinone in patients with curative gastric resection. Biotherapy 3, 287–295 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02221321

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02221321

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