An experimental and clinical study of immunocompetence and immunostimulation in breast cancer.

Two hundred and seven patients aged from 37 to 65 years with noninflammatory breast cancer treated by surgery without radiation were studied over a ten year period with a view to forecasting the prognosis on the basis of the immune status and treatment. The immunocompetence or immune status was studied in 121 patients by in vitro and in vivo pre and post-surgical skin tests. The immunostimulation or restoration of the immune status was conducted by the P 40 immunomodulator from the Pasteur Institute: in an experimental study whose results are based on modified Huggins model and take in to account the survival rate and the evaluation of tumor growth; in a subgroup of 86 patients, demonstrating that immunostimulation is effective in low-scores, improves tolerance to chemotherapy and increases the six year survival rate in high risk low-score patients. The results are encouraging enough to propose improving the survival rate in a prospective clinical study of early breast cancer treated by local and regional means using a protocol incorporating an immunostimulation based on the existing immunocompetence with interferon-induced reconversion of the target cells in the hope of specific stimulation.