Levamisole in postoperative adjuvant immunochemotherapy for gastric cancer
The usefulness of LMS in postoperative immunochemotherapy of gastric cancer was investigated. In compliance with the protocol, MMC was given at a dose of 20 mg on the day of gastrectomy, and an additional 10 mg on the next day IV. The patients receiving 600 mg Tegafur daily were then divided into two groups according to whether LMS was also given or not. LMS was administered for 3 days before the operation in a daily dose of 150 mg and for 1 year or more after operation according to a schedule of 3 days' administration followed by an 11-day interval. The 2-year follow-up demonstrated that in stage III patients, the LMS (+) regimen was superior to the LMS (−) regimen, since the former prolonged the relapse-free interval significantly. The survival rate for stage III disease was also significantly higher in the LMS (+) than in the LMS (−) group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of subjective or objective side-effects between two groups. The incidence of agranulocytosis was comparable in the two groups.