[Effect of lentinan administration of adrenalectomized rats and patients with breast cancer]

To investigate a clinical application of Lentinan, an immunomodulator and polysaccharide extracted from Lentinus edodes, an effect of Lentinan on the adrenalectomized rats was examined. The multiple injection of Lentinan did not result in any changes in the growth curves, survival rate nor histamine sensitivity, compared with those of the controls, indicating that Lentinan might be a useful agent in the combination therapy of adrenalectomized animals. The clinical safety of Lentinan administration for the patients with advanced or recurrent breast cancer who received bilateral oophorectomy and adrenalectomy were confirmed, and its efficacies were evaluated by prolongation of life span and antitumor effect. The improvement of prognosis was observed in Lentinan treated patients, compared with the control.