ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy is a new approach and effective for some malignant tumors. The aim of this study is to observe the efficacy and toxicity of immunotherapy with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) peptide-pulsed DCs in patients with refractory advanced lung cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Lung cancer patients with high CEA expression were enrolled into this project. Autologous DCs were generated from patients' plastic-adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells and loaded with CEA 5 days later. Cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK) were cultured from non-adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells. DCs and CIK were transfused to patients. Responses and toxicities were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 22 patients with lung cancer received DCs immunotherapy. DCs doses were 2.5×10⁶-9.6×10⁷ (5.03×10⁶). CIK doses were 3.4×10⁸-46×10⁸. CD3, CD8, NK and IFN-γ levels obviously increased after treatment (P < 0.05). The 1-year survival rate was 68.2% (15/22). Main toxicities were fever and rash.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>DCs-based immunotherapy is feasible and safe to patients with lung cancer.</p>
ABSTRACT
Purpose:To detect the telomerase activity of lung cancer cells in peripheral blood by TRAP.Methods:The mononuclear cell fraction in peripheral blood was isolated by Ficoll Hypaque gradient centrifugation. Then the telomerase activity of cancer cells in peripheral blood of 49 pre chemotherapy patients was determined by PCR TRAP. Results:In the 49 cases, 65.3%(32/49) cases showed significantly increased telomerase activity, among these cases the telomerase activity was especially high in small cell lung cancer and advanced non small cell lung cancer patients, and telomerase activity in the primary chemotherapy patients was higher than in the recurrent chemotherapy patients. Conclusions:Telomerase activity may be a tumor marker of cancer cells in peripheral blood and can evaluate chemotherapy response in lung cancer.