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Lentinan

Lentinan is a substance extracted from the shiitake mushroom. Doctors use lentinan to enhance the effects of regular drugs used to treat cancer and HIV infections. They administer Lentinan either intravenously or intramuscularly as an injection.

How does Lentinan work?

Lentinan may enhance the effects of certain drugs that fight viruses and cancer. It may also increase the activity of the body's own defense cells.

How effective is Lentinan?

There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of Lentinan for the following conditions.

  • Breast cancer when used as an injection: New research suggests that Lentinan may improve the way regular cancer drugs work in breast cancer patients.
  • Stomach cancer when used as an injection: New research suggests that lentinan may improve the way regular cancer drugs work in people with stomach cancer. However, lentinan appears to be less likely to work in stomach cancer patients who are malnourished.
  • Prostate cancer when used as an injection: New research suggests that lentinan may improve the way regular cancer drugs work in men with prostate cancer.

Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of Lentinan in these applications.

Safety and side effects

There is not enough information to say whether Lentinan is safe and harmless. Lentinan may cause stomach and intestinal cramps, skin rashes, muscle pain and fatigue and it may also slow down blood clotting.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and lactation: Not enough is known about the use of Lentinan during pregnancy and lactation. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid Lentinan.

Interactions

At this time, there is no information on interactions of Lentinan with medications or supplements.

Dosage

The following dosages have been investigated in scientific studies:

As an injection:

  • Doctors administer Lentinan as an injection to boost the immune system in HIV / AIDS patients.

References

  1. Gordon M, Guralnik M, Kaneko Y, et al. A phase II controlled study of a combination of the immune modulator, lentinan, with didanosine (ddI) in HIV patients with CD4 cells of 200-500/mm3. J Med 1995;26:193-207.
  2. Kosaka A, Kuzuoka M, Yamafuji K, et al [Synergistic action of lentinan (LNT) with endocrine therapy of breast cancer in rats and humans]. Gan To Kagaku Ryoho 1987;14:516-22.
  3. Nishihira T, Akimoto M, Mori S. [Anti-cancer effects of BRMs associated with nutrition in cancer patients]. Gan To Kagaku Ryoho,1988;15:1615-20.
  4. Taguchi T. Clinical efficacy of lentinan on patients with stomach cancer: end point results of a four-year follow-up survey. Cancer Detect Prev Suppl 1987;1:333-49.
  5. Tari K, Satake I, Nakagomi K, et al [Effect of lentinan for advanced prostate carcinoma]. Hinyokika Kiyo 1994;40:119-23.
  6. Wada T, Nishide T, Hatayama K, et al [A comparative clinical trial with tegafur plus lentinan treatment at two different doses in advanced cancer]. Gan To Kagaku Ryoho 1987;14:2509-11.
  7. Yoshiyuki T, Onda M, Tokunaga A, et al [Treatment for peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer by intraperitoneal administration of CDDP through Infuse-a-Port]. Gan To Kagaku Ryoho 1994;21:2323-5.