ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the values of autologous cytokine-induced killer cells combined with rhIL-2 for therapy of elderly patients with B-cell malignant lymphoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty-five elderly patients with B-cell malignant lymphoma were treated by cytokine induced killer cells combine with rhIL-2 (CIK+IL-2 group), 85 elderly patients with B-cell malignant lymphoma treated without cytokine induced killer cells combined with rhIL-2 were used as the control group. The patients in CIK+IL-2 group and control group were divided into 4 subgroups accerding to lymphoma types: group A: diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), group B: mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type (MALT), group C: lymphoplas macytic lymphoma (LPL) and group D: hodgkin's lymphma (HL). The clinical effects, T-lymphocyte, β2 microglobulin level, quality of life and long-term survival were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of CD3+, CD3+/CD8+, CD3+/CD56+ after treatment in the 4 subgroups of CIK+IL-2 group were higher than levels before treatment and the control group (P<0.05); the levels of β2 microglobulin after treatment for the 4 groups were lower than before treatment and the control group (P<0.05); with 1 case death, 16 cases were turned from CRu and PR to CR; the CR rate was not significantly different among the 4 subgroups (P>0.05); the scores of physical performance, role function, cognitive function, emotional functioning, and social function after treatment in the 4 subgroups were higher than the those before treatment (P<0.05); the survival time of patients in the CIK+IL-2 group lasted for 8-76 months, their median survival time was (22.36±5.38) months; the survival of the control group lasted for 7-55 months, their median survival time was (16.15±3.62) months. The survival time of the CIK+IL-2 group was longer than that of the control group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The treatment of aged patients with B-cell malignant lymphoma by autologous cytokine-induced killer cells combined with rhIL-2 can effectively improve the T-lymphocyte subsets, β2 microglobulin level and quality of life, and can prolong survival time of patients.</p>