[Human IgG and adjuvant therapy in patients with colon-rectal cancer]

It is well known that, in patients with carcinoma, chemotherapy produces an increase of the incidence of infections and changes the immune defences of the patient. Since 1952 human immunoglobulins have been used for pathologies with immune deficiency. This study aims to evaluate the immunologic efficacy of purified human immunoglobulins in patients with colon-rectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

In 60 patients of both sexes, with colon-rectal cancer after surgical operation and who underwent chemotherapy with 5-FU and folinic acid, about thirty of them were treated with purified human IgG. In particular, the hemochrome and the microbiologic parameters were evaluated.

The percentage of infections in patients treated with purified human immunoglobulins was less in comparison to patients treated only with chemotherapy and in this sphere, a prevalence of sepsis sustained by Gram-, was observed in the control group in respect to patients treated with purified human IgG.

The authors have observed a positive qualitative variation in the functional state of the immunocompetent cells; the IgG would play the role of functional stimulation of immediate immunity, pointed out by an inferior number of infections in patients treated with IgG. Therefore, it is evident that the use of such therapeutic factors that can help in the reintegration of a slackened control of immunity represented by neutropenic leucocytes, might contribute to rendering the diffusion of the tumour more difficult.