The embryonic and maternal regulatory factor as a palliative Therapy for Advanced Solid Tumors

Previous reports, performed in animals as well in humans, have suggested that embryonic regulatory factors are effective in inhibiting tumor growth and/or in improving performance status or survival in advanced cancer patients. A set of different regulatory proteins have been extracted from fish embryo, during the occurrence of differentiative processes (middle blastula-gastrula), sharing a well-expressed ability to reduce tumor growth and to enhance the expression of the anti-oncogene p-53 in several different tumor cell lines. Forty-seven advanced cancer patients, refractory to conventional cures, entered the study and were treated with 300 mg of zebrafish embryo protein extracts, three times a day sublingually. After three weeks of treatment a significant improvement in performance status was recorded in 80% of patients. The benefit was almost unchanged after 6 months of treatment and general conditions were worsened only in 30% of cases. After the first three months of therapy partial objective responses were recorded, with significant reduction in the size of tumor-mass, in 4 patients. Tumor size in seventy percent of patients did not change or showed only minimal reduction, while progression was observed in 20% of patients. Overall survival reached 80% after 8 months of therapy. Occurrence of side effects was negligible. No definitive conclusions can be drawn from this preliminary report even if results are promising and needed further studies in order to evidence the significance of the observed results.