Cooperative trial of immunotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma with transfer factor from donors with Epstein-Barr virus antibody activity.

A prospectively randomized, double-blind clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of immunotherapy with transfer factor (TF) as an adjunct to radiotherapy of patients with stage III nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The TF was derived from normal young adults with a proven history of infectious mononucleosis and from normal blood donors with elevated antiviral capsid antigen antibody activity. TF prepared in this fashion was previously shown to convert the leukocytes of patients with NPC to a reactive state in vitro and when administered to NPC patients in vivo was associated with apparent slowing of tumor growth, marked lymphocytic infiltration of the tumor, and reconstitution of delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions. From 1974 to 1977, 100 patients with NPC were entered in the study; one-half of the patients were treated with radiotherapy alone and one-half received radiotherapy and an 18-month course of TF immunotherapy. The patients were followed for at least 5 years. No significant difference in disease-free survival or survival was noted between the two groups of patients. The use of this particular preparation and dose schedule of TF in patients with NPC with regional disease was devoid of any anti-tumor activity.