ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of high doses of thymopentin (10 mg/d) combined with transartery chemoembolization for primary liver cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty primary liver cancer patients were randomly divided into two groups: therapeutic and control group, and all were treated with transfemoral artery chemoembolization (TACE) with oxaliplatin 150 mg, pharmorubicin 50 mg, 5-Fu 750 mg, CF 300 mg and lipiodol 20 ml. Therapeutic group (25) were added 10 mg thymopentin daily after TACE: i.v. on dl - d5, and im on D6 - D21.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was a significant difference in adverse effect and toxicity such as naupathia,fever, swirl, asthenia observed between two groups (P < 0.05). No difference in either pre- or post-chemotherapy peripheral blood examination and biochemical assay was found between two groups (P > 0.05). In control group, CD4+ cell was 37.92% +/- 8.71% in pre-treatment, which decreased to 29.16% +/- 8.21% in post-treatment with a significant difference (P < 0.01), whereas there was no evident difference in CD4+ cell between pre-treatment and post-treatment in the treatment group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Transartery chemoembolization combined with high dose of thymopentin in the treatment for primary liver cancer is effective and safe, and can significantly improve the immune function and the chemotherapy tolerance.</p>
