thymalfasin and Hypesthesia

Clinical trails showed that thymosin alpha1 offers protection from toxicities (nausea, vomiting, fatigue) of chemotherapy. This study was designed to investigate the protection of thymosin alpha1 to nervous system.. Twenty-two patients with advanced lung cancer, or advanced breast cancer were treated with vinorelbine (25 mg/m(2), d(1), d(8)) combined with cisplatin (80 mg/m(2), d(1)), or gemcitabine (1.25 g/m(2), d(1), d(8)) combined with cisplatin (80 mg/m(2), d(1)),or paclitaxel (80 mg/m(2), d(1), d(8), d(15)) combined with carboplatin (AUC=6 d(1)),or paclitaxel (80 mg/m(2), d(1), d(8), d(15)) combined with epirubicin (80 mg/m(2), d(1)). They all experienced grade 2 to 4 of neurotoxicities according to common toxicity criteria of National Cancer Institute after chemotherapy. The same chemotherapy regimens were combined with thymosin alpha1 (1.6 mg/d for 4 days before chemotherapy, and 1.6 mg twice weekly for 1-3 weeks after chemotherapy began) in the next cycle. Clinical neurologic evaluation was performed at baseline every week.. In 10 patients (45.4%), neurotoxicities reduced from grade 2-4 before chemotherapy to less than grade 2 after chemotherapy.. Thymosin alpha1 may prevent patients from chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicities.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Breast Neoplasms; Constipation; Female; Humans; Hypesthesia; Hypokinesia; Lung Neoplasms; Lymphatic Metastasis; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Neuroprotective Agents; Thymalfasin; Thymosin