[Influence of the administration of levamisole on the reactivity of T-lymphocytes in advanced cancer patients].

The effects of levamisole were studied by evaluating T-cell responsiveness to a low dose of PHA on 31 advanced cancer volunteers. Treatment consisted in a 3-time a week oral administration of 150 mg of levamisole, actual time of observation is comprized between 10 and 31 months: 14 out of 31 treated metastatic cases of various solid tumours are still alive. In a group of 25 untreated patients, mean survival times were 65 days for men and 48 days for women. An increase of the responsiveness to a low dose of PHA was associated with survival, while death occurred when T-cells were unable to respond to the stimulatory activity of levamisole. These preliminary data confirm the paramount importance of cellular immunity in controlling neoplasias. They suggest a possibility to augment the life-span of cancer patients if an impaired cellular immunity machinery could be restored by the direct and indirect (hormonal) actions of levamisole, evidencing these mechanisms were still potentially functionning. They suggest also a monitoring of anti-tumoral immunity by evaluating the magnitude of T-cell response following levamisole administration.