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Levamisole in the treatment of stage II breast cancer five‐year follow‐up of a randomized double‐blind study
Author(s) -
Klefström Pentti,
Holsti Paul,
Gröhn Pentti,
Hein Erkki,
Holsti Lars
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19850615)55:12<2753::aid-cncr2820551204>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - levamisole , medicine , stage (stratigraphy) , breast cancer , randomized controlled trial , surgery , radiation therapy , cancer , gastroenterology , paleontology , biology
Abstract The effect of levamisole combined with postoperative radiotherapy in Stage II breast cancer was investigated in a double‐blind randomized study comprising 72 patients. All patients were followed for at least 5 years. Disease‐free survival was slightly prolonged in the levamisole group as a whole. Among postmenopausal patients, levamisole significantly increased both disease‐free and total survival ( P = 0.003) and P = 0.008, respectively. The levamisole group also showed fewer distant metastases as the first sign of recurrence. Levamisole treatment was associated with a risk of granulocytopenia and agranulocytosis (10%), but, as in the authors' previous studies, this seemed to be totally reversible and did not worsen the prognosis.