[Evaluation and consideration of BRM-BRM and HDP (host defense potentiators)]

It should first be stressed that the term BRM is wrong and unscientific, since this would include potassium cyanide or cancer chemotherapeutics in the strict sense of the term. Therefore, in this article we discuss the evaluation of Host Defence Potentiators (HDP). IL-2 or TNF should not be included as HDP because their action is local and not selective to cancer cells, similar to the case of cancer chemotherapeutics. IL-2 is not useful without the presence of IL-2-responsive cells in the host. The most important facet of the action of HDP is to increase the response of the host to cytokines or other bioactive substances according to the degree of maturation, differentiation or proliferation of responsive cells in the host defence mechanism. Lentinan appears to represent a unique class of HDP, markedly potentiating host resistance to cancer and bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, and shows prominent antitumor activity in syngeneic and autochthonous hosts, suppressing chemical and viral oncogenesis. The most important target of HDP is complete prevention of recurrence after "curative" surgery fundamentally through growth inhibition and regression of a small number of autochthonous tumor cells scattered in the host. Considering the excellent end-point results for phase III advanced and recurrent gastrointestinal and breast cancer, lentinan seems to be the most hopeful drug against cancer recurrence. The development of various new types of MDP mediating host homeostasis in the immune, endocrine and nervous systems and nutritional states is expected.