picibanil and Alopecia

The relapse rate of bladder cancer (transitional cell Ca) is said to be about 45%-80% even after tumor resection. Multidisciplinary treatment was designed and studied to prevent such recurrence. This treatment was designed to have three steps: induction, consolidation, and maintenance therapy. Following surgical tumor removal, OK-432 and Adriamycin (ADM) were administered as consolidation therapy, followed by administration of PSK and carboquone (CQ) in small amounts as maintenance therapy continuously for about 3 years, and the course was observed. In both consolidation and maintenance groups various non-specific immunoparameters were superior in groups receiving combined immunotherapeutic agents. Thus, the use of immunotherapeutic agents in combination with chemotherapeutic agents was considered to be effective. The 3-year recurrence rate was only 8% in the multidisciplinary treatment group, while that in the non-multidisciplinary treatment group was 61%. This approach, especially with chemoimmunotherapy (ADM and OK-432) as a consolidation therapeutic mode, is therefore considered to be useful for the prevention of recurrence.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Aged; Alopecia; Biological Products; Carbazilquinone; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell; Combined Modality Therapy; Doxorubicin; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Immunity, Cellular; Immunoglobulin G; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Picibanil; Proteoglycans; T-Lymphocytes; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms