Oral Combination Treatment of Gefitinib (Iressa™) and Sasam-Kyeongokgo: Synergistic Effects on the NCI-H520 Tumor Cell Line

The aim of this research was to confirm the possible synergic effects of sasam-Kyeongokgo (SKOG) on the anti-tumor activity of gefitinib using athymic nude mice bearing the human non-small-cell lung squamous cell carcinoma (NSCLC) NCI-H520 cell line after continuous oral combination treatment provided daily for 35 days within a timeframe of 5 min, as a developing process of novel preventive and therapeutic regimes for various types of lung cancer. After 35 days, BW, tumor volume and weight, and lymphatic and periovarian fat pad weight measurements, as well as serum IFN-gamma and IL-6 level, NK cell activity, and splenic cytokine content measurements, together with histopathological observations, and immunohistochemistry measurements of the treated and control mice, were performed. The results suggest that the co-administration of SKOG 400, 200, or 100 mg/kg with gefitinib markedly increased the anti-tumor activity of gefitinib through immunostimulatory effects and also dramatically inhibited cancer cachexia through the immunostimulatory effect, potentiating the anti-tumor activity of gefitinib, with favorable anti-cachexia effects. Therefore, the co-administration of over 100 mg/kg of SKOG and gefitinib can provide an effective novel treatment regimen for various lung cancer patients.