[Effect of lentinan for advanced prostate carcinoma]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology

Background:

• Metastatic prostate cancer presents significant treatment challenges.
• Immunomodulatory agents are being explored to enhance cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of Lentinan as an adjunct therapy in metastatic prostate cancer.
• To assess the impact of Lentinan on survival rates in patients receiving hormonochemotherapy.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized multi-center study involving 69 eligible patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
• Patients received hormonal therapy and Tegafur chemotherapy; 33 received Lentinan (intramuscular), 36 did not.
• Lentinan dosage varied for inpatients (2 mg weekly) and outpatients (4 mg bi-weekly).

Main Results:

• The 50% survival length was 48 months for the Lentinan group versus 35 months for the control group.
• The five-year survival rate was 43% in the Lentinan group compared to 29% in the control group (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Lentinan demonstrates clinical effectiveness in improving survival for metastatic prostate cancer patients.
• Incorporating Lentinan into standard hormonochemotherapy regimens is a promising strategy for this patient population.