Thymosin α1 combined with XELOX improves immune function and reduces serum tumor markers in colorectal cancer patients after radical surgery

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of thymosin α1 combined with XELOX in improving immune function and reducing serum tumor markers in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) after radical surgery. A total of 180 patients who underwent radical surgery for CRC were divided into two groups: an observation group (n = 94) receiving thymosin α1 in combination with XELOX and a control group (n = 86) receiving XELOX alone. Immune function, inflammatory factor levels, serum tumor markers, and quality of life were assessed before and after treatment. Adverse reactions and recurrence rates were compared between the two groups in 1 and 3 years. Following therapy, there was a notable increase in the levels of CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ in all cohorts, particularly in the observation cohort, when compared to pre-therapy levels. Conversely, CD8+ levels decreased across all cohorts, especially in the observation cohort. Additionally, there was an increase in the levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ in the observation cohort, compared to both pre-therapy and control cohort levels, while IL-6 levels decreased. The presence of CEA, CA242, and CA724 reduced significantly across all cohorts following post-therapy, particularly in the observation cohort. Post-therapy, there was a significant increase in the scoring for role, cognitive, social, emotional, and somatic functions in all cohorts, with the most significant improvement observed in the observation cohort. There were no significant differences in the incidence of side effects across cohorts, while neutropenia events were significantly lower in the observation cohort (32.98%) compared to the control cohort (48.84%). The 12-month recurrence rate showed no statistical significance across cohorts, while the observation cohort had a significantly lower three-year recurrence rate (24.47%) compared to the control cohort (59.30%). Thymosin α1 combined with XELOX is effective in improving immune function, reducing serum tumor markers, and minimizing recurrence in CRC patients after radical surgery. This combination therapy may be a promising new direction for the treatment of CRC.