Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM: We aimed to clarify the clinical effect of Korean Red ginseng administered with adjuvant chemotherapy on the immune function of patients with bile duct or pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized controlled trial conducted at a single tertiary center. Twenty-six consecutive patients who underwent curative resection for bile duct or pancreatic cancer followed by 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin or gemcitabine chemotherapy were included. They were randomized 1:1 to the ginseng and control groups. Immune and inflammatory markers were assayed in peripheral blood samples during and after chemotherapy. RESULTS: Intergroup differences in immune-related parameters before and during chemotherapy were not significant. After chemotherapy, the percentage of CD4(+) T lymphocytes was significantly higher in the ginseng group than in the control group (42.01% vs. 33.69%, p=0.048). The ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+) T lymphocytes was also higher in the ginseng group (2.03 vs. 1.28, p=0.027). Neutropenia and liver dysfunction prevalence did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSION: The ginseng group, which received Korean Red ginseng daily during adjuvant chemotherapy, showed higher levels of CD4(+) T lymphocytes and CD4(+)/CD8(+) T lymphocyte ratio after chemotherapy.