2006•Chinese Journal of Clinical Oncology and RehabilitationRequires access
Immunomodulatory effects of thymosin α1 on cancer patients during chemotherapy
Xiaohong Li
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Abstract
Objective To observe the immunomodulatory effects of thymosin α1 on advanced cancer patients during chemotherapy.Methods Fifty patients with advanced cancer were randomly and equally divided into two groups receiving chemotherapy or chemotherapy in combination with thymosin α1 at a twice weekly dose of 1.6 mg by subcutaneous injection for 8 weeks.The peripheral blood T cell subsets(CD4,CD4/CD8)and natural killer(NK) activity of patients in both groups were measured by flow cytometry before and after treatment.Results After treatment,the blood levels of CD4,CD4/CD8 and NK cell activity in chemotherapy+thymosin group were significantly higher than those before treatment(P0.05).After treatment,the NK cell activity in chemotherapy +thymosin group was significantly higher than that in control group(P0.05).Conclusion The immunological function of cancer patients is significantly elevated by thymosin α1 treatment and no obvious side effects were observed.