Immunochemotherapies versus Chemotherapy as Adjuvant Treatment after Curative Resection of Operable Breast Cancer

Authors: Y Iino, T Yokoe, M Maemura, J Horiguchi, H Takei, S Ohwada, Y Morishita

Journal: Anticancer Research

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial

Participants: 227 patients with operable breast cancer and vascular invasion

Trial Length: The study period was from January 1980 to December 1990.

Intervention: Patients were randomized into three groups:

• FEMP (5-fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, mitomycin C, and prednisolone)
• FEMP + Levamisole (LMS)
• FEMP + Protein-bound polysaccharide (PSK)

Primary Outcomes: Disease-free survival and overall survivalSummary: The study compared the efficacy of immunochemotherapy (FEMP + LMS or FEMP + PSK) to chemotherapy alone (FEMP) as adjuvant treatment after curative resection of operable breast cancer with vascular invasion. The results showed no significant difference in disease-free survival or overall survival between the three groups. However, the FEMP + PSK group tended to have better survival compared to the FEMP group. The side effects were mild and tolerable. The study suggests that immunochemotherapy using PSK may improve the prognosis of patients with operable breast cancer with vascular invasion.