Beneficial response of local immunotherapy with Propionibacterium granulosum KP-45 in combined treatment of inflammatory breast carcinoma.

Nine 44- to 67-year-old patients with inflammatory breast carcinoma were treated over 2 weeks with intratumoral injections of Propionibacterium granulosum KP-45 (KP). This period of immunotherapy was succeeded by four courses of chemoimmunotherapy (FAC: 5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide + intratumoral KP). Inflammatory symptoms disappeared in three patients during immunotherapy and in the remaining six patients during the following chemoimmunotherapy. Finally, 3 to 4 months after starting the therapy, all nine patients were free from inflammatory symptoms and it became possible to perform radical (seven cases) or simple (two cases) surgery. Thereafter routine therapy (radiotherapy, fractionated dose of 5500 R, followed by 10 FAC courses + single injections of KP for each FAC course) was used. After 19 to 32 months observation time all patients are still in complete remission with no local recurrences. Only one patient showed distant metastases during the observation period.