The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 38, 140-145, Copyright © 1984 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Transfer factor in the treatment of carcinoma of the lung
MM Kirsh, MB Orringer, S McAuliffe, MA Schork, B Katz and J Silva Jr
From 1976 to 1982, 63 patients with carcinoma of the lung underwent
curative pulmonary resection, mediastinal lymph node dissection, and
postoperative mediastinal irradiation when indicated. After operation, the
patients were randomized by cell type and stage of disease into two groups.
Beginning 1 month postoperatively, Group 1 patients (N = 28) received 1 ml
of transfer factor that had been extracted from the blood of normal
individuals. Subsequent doses were administered at 3-month intervals. Group
2 patients (N = 35) served as controls. There were no significant
differences between the two groups with respect to age, sex, extent of
resection, histological cell type, or stage of disease. Twenty of the 28
treated patients were alive and free from disease from 7 to 77 months after
treatment, whereas 17 of the 35 control patients were free from disease.
The 1-year survival for Group 1 was 84% and for Group 2, 81%. The 2-year
survival was 78% for Group 1 and 46% for Group 2 (p = 0.045). The survival
rates by stage of disease were as follows: Stage I, 15 out of 17 or 88% in
Group 1 and 15 out of 23 or 65% in Group 2 (p = 0.097); Stages II and III,
5 out of 11 or 45% in Group 1 and 3 out of 12 or 25% in Group 2 (p =
0.304). The results of the study suggest that the administration of
transfer factor to patients who have undergone pulmonary resection for
carcinoma of the lung can have a significant impact on the prolongation of
life.
