Efficacy of immunochemotherapy with Ftorafur and Krestin in rats

The effectiveness of combined administration of Ftorafur (FT) and Krestin (PSK) on experimentally-induced liver cancer has not been established. This study was undertaken to elucidate the effect of combined administration of these drugs on tumor growth and temporal changes in the immuno-endocrine system under this immunochemotherapy. Male inbred WKA/H strain rats were used. The drugs used were FT and PSK, each dissolved in water and fed orally. The drugs were administered separately but concomitantly in standardized cycles to the tumor-bearing animals. KDH-8 ascitic liver cancer cells were subcutaneously transplanted into WKA rats. The tumor growth inhibition rate of FT and PSK was then determined. Twenty-one days after subcutaneous transplantation, tumor growth in the combined administration transplantation, tumor growth in the combined administration group was significantly inhibited, compared to the control group (p < 0.001). At fourteen days, plasma ACTH levels of the FT + PSK combined group were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < 0.001).