The
treatment outcomes of relapsed or refractory
neuroblastoma have been unsatisfactory till date. We reported two cases of
adoptive immunotherapy using
cytokine-induced killer (CIK)
cells against relapsed or refractory
neuroblastoma.
CIK cell production was attempted in three
patients, out of which two
patients exhibited adequate levels of
CIK cell production. Two
patients completed full term of
CIK cell infusions (weekly for 6 weeks and then biweekly for 8 wk) without serious adverse events. The progression-free survivals for the two
patients were 1.9 and 4.1 months. Their overall survivals were 16.7 and 28.7 months. Although the
efficacy was unclear,
CIK cell infusion combined with other
treatment strategies may have prolonged overall
survival in refractory
neuroblastoma patients. Further studies are needed to determine the exact
role of
CIK cell-based
immunotherapy in relapsed or refractory
neuroblastoma patients.