Combination therapy of local administration of OK-432 and radiation for esophageal cancer

Abstract Local administration of OK-432, a biological response modifier, was combined with radiation in 30 patients with esophageal cancer as a pilot study. Complete response was obtained in 22 of 30 patients (73.3%); and partial response was obtained in the remaining eight cases (26.7%). Complete response was obtained in all eight patients with a tumor less than 5 cm in length. In the group with tumors 5–10 cm in length, complete response was obtained in 11 of 14 cases (78.6%); and partial response was obtained in 3 of 14 cases. In the group with a tumor length of more than 10 cm, complete response was obtained in 3 of 8 cases (37.5%); and partial response was obtained in 5 of 8 cases. One-year, 2-year, and 3-year survival rates of the 30 patients, including four patients who died of other diseases, were 67.9%, 40.8% and 29.0%, respectively. This new combination therapy may contribute not only to local control, but also to survival.