Levamisole: a double blind immunological study.

D J Webster; R H Whitehead; G Richardson; L E Hughes

PubMed · 7051958

Levamisole: a double blind immunological study.

D J Webster·R H Whitehead·G Richardson·L E Hughes

Abstract

The immunological effects of a 4-week course of levamisole have been assessed by a randomised double blind study of a group of cancer patients judged to have a poor prognosis. No change in immunological status was recorded during a 6 months follow up, using a battery of tests including DNCB response. Mantoux response, lymphocyte count, PHA stimulation and serum immunoglobulin levels. 38% of patients complained of side-effects from the levamisole and 17% stopped the treatment. It is concluded that any beneficial effects of levamisole in patients with advanced cancer may be mediated by a non-immunological mechanism, or by some immunological process other than those studied here, or may require a longer period of administration than 4 weeks. Variation in skin test results in the placebo group throw some doubt on previous reports of immunopotentiation of cancer patients by levamisole.

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Adjuvants, Immunologic Aged Carcinoma Clinical Trials as Topic Colonic Neoplasms Dinitrochlorobenzene Double-Blind Method Female Humans Immunocompetence Levamisole Male Melanoma Middle Aged Stomach Neoplasms Clinical Trial Journal Article Randomized Controlled Trial Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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D J Webster, R H Whitehead, G Richardson, L E Hughes. Levamisole: a double blind immunological study.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7051958/

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