Effect of compound Kushen injection on T-cell subgroups and natural killer cells in patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with concomitant radiochemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To observe effect of compound Kushen injection on T-cell subgroups and NK cells in patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with concomitant radiochemotherapy.

METHODS: We randomly divided 60 patients with locally advanced NSCLC who were treated at our hospital between May 2011 and May 2013 into a treatment group and a control group by drawing. The treatment group (n = 30) received concomitant radiochemotherapy plus compound Keshen injection, and the control group (n = 30) received only radiochemotherapy.

RESULTS: After treatment, levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ and CD16+/CD56+ cells had significantly increased, and CD8+ cells had significantly decreased, in the treatment group compared with both their pretreatment levels and with levels in the control group. In the control group, post-treatment levels of CD3 +, CD4 +, CD4 +/CD8 + and CD16+/CD56+ cells were not significantly changed from pretreatment levels. The two groups did not significantly differ in their rates of toxicity reactions (P> 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Compound Kushen injections can increase immunologic function in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer who receive concomitant radiochemotherapy.