PREVENTION OF HEPATIC METASTASES BY LIVER LECTIN BLOCKING WITH D-GALACTOSE IN COLON-CANCER PATIENTS - A PROSPECTIVELY RANDOMIZED CLINICAL-TRIAL

76 colon adenocarcinoma patients (stages 1-3, NO, MO) were enrolled in to a prospectively randomized clinical trial 39 patients were perioper atively heated with D-galactose-(therapy group: 1.9 g/kg BW and day) o r D-glucose-containing electrolyte infusions (control group: n = 37). There were no cases of perioperative mortality. The complication rate was 17,1% (therapy group: 15,3%; control group: 18,9%). Since tumor st aging and grading were equally distributed for therapy and control gro ups,a non-stratified statistical analysis yielded a) significantly red uced hepatic metastases and b) improved overall survival for patients of the therapy group. Stage-dependent analysis demonstrated that stage 3 carcinoma patients of the treatment group developed significantly l ess hepatic metastases as compared to patients of the control group.