It is well known that some kinds of immunological functions, s.c. NK activity, IFN or
IL-2 production of spleen cells are decreased in mice with
protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) compared with those of well-nourished mice. In this study, nutritional conditions of
cancer bearers were demonstrated to have serious influence on the effects of immunochemotherapeutic agents as shown herewith. (1) Intra-tumoral
5-FU concentration was lower in PCM mice or starved mice than in mice fed a normal diet. (2) Transplanted mammary
tumor, MM-48, was paradoxically grown in PCM mice after 7 days i.p. injection of
OK-432 or
Lentinan, but the
tumor burden was relatively decreased after the same treatment in N-group mice. (4) The
life prolongation effect of rIL-2 and
OK-432 against ascitic hepatic
carcinoma, MH-134, was recognized in C 3H/He mice. On the other hand, there was no observable effect by sequential i.p. injection of PCM mice sera together with rIL-2 and
OK-432. (5) Clinically, a randomized study of advanced or recurrent
gastric cancer patients treated with MMC and FT(MF) with or without
Lentinan was performed. Excellent end-point results were obtained only in
Lentinan-administered patients with normal
protein levels, but no such effects were noted in patients with low
protein levels (below 5.9 g/dl). These findings suggest that the nutritional environment of the
cancer bearing host has an important role in the effect of some kinds of BRMs.