[Prevention of cancer chemotherapeutic agent-induced toxicity in postoperative breast cancer patients with glycyrrhizin (SNMC)].

It is well known that all cell lines, normal as well as malignant, have a sensitivity to the growth inhibitory effect of IFN or IFN inducers. We speculated that the antiproliferative effects of the IFN inducer SNMC might help alleviate the uncomfortable side effects of cancer chemotherapeutic agent. Fifty-seven patients with postoperative breast cancer received MMF (mitomycin, methotrexate, futraful therapy with SNMC and 60 were given MMF alone. There was only one patient (1.7%) in the former group in whom the MMF chemotherapy was discontinued because of liver dysfunction; however, 15 patients (25%) in the latter group had to stop the therapy because of its side effects. Thus, there was a significant effect of SNMC in preventing the side effects of MMF chemotherapy.