Lentinan combined with cisplatin and paclitaxel in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer with ascites

Authors: Li-Yuan Guo, San-Yuan Zhang, Chen Chen, Hao-Xia Zeng, Feng-Yan Li, Qiu-Xiang Xu

Journal: European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology

Study Design: Retrospective study

Participants: 212 cases of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and ascites

Intervention: The patients were divided into two groups based on their chemotherapy regimen:

• TP group (n=98): Received standard taxinol and platinol (TP) treatment
• TP + lentinan group (n=114): Received TP treatment plus lentinan injection

Outcome Measures:

• Short-term therapeutic effect (complete response [CR], partial response [PR], stable disease [SD], progressive disease [PD], effective rate, disease control rate)
• Short-term ascites control
• Common adverse reactions of chemotherapy (gastrointestinal reactions, myelotoxicity, neurotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, allergic reaction)
• Karnofsky score
• Progression-free survival (PFS)
• Two-year survival

Summary: The study aimed to observe the clinical efficacy of lentinan combined with cisplatin and paclitaxel in treating ovarian cancer with ascites. The results showed that the TP + lentinan group had a significantly better short-term effective rate and disease control rate compared to the TP group. The control of ascites was also better in the TP + lentinan group. The common adverse reactions of chemotherapy were relatively mild and had a reduced incidence in the TP + lentinan group. The Karnofsky score, which reflects the quality of life, was significantly improved in the TP + lentinan group. Although there was no statistical difference in PFS and two-year survival between the two groups, the study concluded that lentinan combined with chemotherapy could enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy, improve the control of ascites, and improve the quality of life in patients with ovarian cancer.