picibanil and Pleurisy

A randomized controlled study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of intrapleural and systemic administration of OK-432, streptococcus preparation, in patients with cancerous pleurisy. A total of 53 patients were accessed to the study: 29 patients for the OK-432 group and 24 patients for the control group. Intrapleural instillation of 50 mg of adriamycin and a combination chemotherapy of MFC (mitomycin C 0.08 mg/kg, 5-FU 10 mg/kg, ara-C 0.8 mg/kg iv, weekly) were administered in both groups. In the OK-432 group intrapleural instillation of 2 units of OK-432 was administered daily until disappearance of pleural effusion; thereafter, 2 to 5 units of OK-432 were administered intradermally every other day. Patients with stage III in the OK-432 group survived significantly longer than those in the control group (P less than 0.05), but there was no significance between in patients with stage IV of both treatment groups. Also patients with PPD negative skin reaction at the time of beginning of treatment in the OK-432 group survived significantly longer than those in the control group (P less than 0.001), but there was no significance between both treatment groups in patients with PPD positive skin reaction at the time of beginning of treatment. Eighteen (62%) of 29 patients treated with OK-432 had a fever, but well tolerated.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Biological Products; Clinical Trials as Topic; Female; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Mitomycin; Mitomycins; Picibanil; Pleural Neoplasms; Pleurisy; Random Allocation

We report two patients of recurrent breast cancer with carcinomatous pleurisy well controlled pleural effusion. One patient is a 49-year-old woman. She underwent radical mastectomy for right breast cancer in September 1993. She suffered from multiple liver metastases in June 2000, so CEF therapy contained hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and extended right lobectomy of the liver were performed in December 2001. Right pleural effusion was detected in December 2003, then, pleurodesis was carried out with OK-432 after thoracic drainage. After pleurodesis, a weekly paclitaxel therapy was started and she was taking the regimen continuously. Another patient is a 55-year-old woman. She underwent radical mastectomy for left breast cancer in September 1999. Local recurrent lesions on the left chest and left pleural effusion were found in May 2003. After thoracic drainage, infectious pleurisy was complicated, so the drainage tube was removed after the therapy for preventing infection. After pleurodesis, CE therapy followed by peroral chemo-endocrine therapy was performed. Both of the two patients are receiving outpatient treatment without recurrent pleural effusion as of July 2005.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Breast Neoplasms; Drainage; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Paclitaxel; Picibanil; Pleural Effusion, Malignant; Pleurisy

Intraperitoneal and pleural immunotherapy has been used as an effective therapy for malignancy. Recently we treated two patients with peritonitis and pleuritis due to cancer by intraperitoneal and pleural administration of IFN-gamma, OK-432 and antitumor agents. One patient with gastric cancer (stage IIIb) was treated with intraperitoneal administration of IFN-gamma and OK-432 in combination with intraarterial infusion of MMC, ADM, 5-FU and CDDP. Two months later, ascites and pleural fluid diminished. Another patient with ovarian carcinoma (stage IV), was administered IFN-gamma, OK-432 and CDDP into ascites with general medication of CDDP and Epi-ADM. Two months later, her ascites and tumor size decreased. This patient was treated with palaplatin every two months for the ten months and hysterosalpingecctomy and tumorectomy of Douglas pouch were performed at the sixteenth month. The histopathological examination of resection from this patient showed complete necrotic tissue of tumor. Endogenous cytokine therapy with intraperitoneal and pleural administration of IFN-gamma for priming and OK-432 for eliciting in combination with antitumor agents may be effective treatment for malignant peritonitis and pleuritis.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous; Aged; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cisplatin; Epirubicin; Female; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Infusions, Parenteral; Interferon-gamma; Male; Middle Aged; Ovarian Neoplasms; Peritonitis; Picibanil; Pleural Effusion; Pleurisy; Stomach Neoplasms

A single injection of a streptococcal preparation, OK-432, with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) (or fresh human serum) into the peritoneal or pleural cavity for the treatment of malignant ascites or pleurisy resulted in a complete reduction of ascitic fluid or pleural effusion in 5 out of 11 patients. FFP was used a further source of complement for the effective accumulation of antitumor polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) by complement-derived chemotactic factors in the cavity. C5a increased in the fluids 3-9 h after the injection and preceded a massive increase in PMNs. C1 inhibitor (C1INH) and C3b inactivator (C3bINA) decreased in several cases 6 h after the treatment. Chemotactic arachidonic acid metabolites, thromboxane B2(TXB2) as a characteristics of TXA2, and leukotriene B4(LTB4) also increased at the same time even in cases where C5a changed only minimally, and may play a role in accumulating antitumor PMNs in the cavity.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ascites; Biological Products; Complement Activation; Complement C5; Complement C5a; Female; Freezing; Humans; Immunization, Passive; Leukotriene B4; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Neutrophils; Picibanil; Pleurisy; Thromboxane B2

Fourty-three patients with pleuritis carcinomatosa have been treated with an intra-thoracic administration in four distinct ways: Adriamycin alone, OK-432 alone, the combination of Adriamycin with OK-432, or the combination of Mitomycin C with OK-432. Judging from an evaluation of the subsequent chest X-rays, the prognosis of the cases which received the combination therapy of the two drugs was significantly better to that of the others. There were no significant differences between cases with primary lung cancer and those with other cancers. As for the side effects after the administration, there were no side effects, such as the trouble the renal function or liver function, other than fever and a decrease in the W.B.C.

Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Aged; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Biological Products; Doxorubicin; Female; Fever; Humans; Injections; Leukopenia; Mitomycin; Mitomycins; Neoplasms; Picibanil; Pleurisy; Prognosis; Thorax

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological Products; Female; Glycoproteins; Growth Inhibitors; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Picibanil; Pleural Effusion; Pleurisy; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha