ABSTRACT
Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a group of disorders in various tissues characterized by the proliferation of Langerhans cells. It is rarely observed in adults. Langerhans cells are dendritic cells that express cluster of differentiation 1a (CD1a) and S100 protein, and contain Birbeck granules. Its etiopathogenesis remains to be elucidated. One possible etiological cause is a reactive proliferation of Langerhans cells following chemotherapy or radiotherapy for Hodgkin's disease (HD). A number of cases of LCH associated with malignant lymphoma have been reported previously. It may follow after the malignant lymphoma, or occur with it. However, fewer cases have been reported where the LCH followed after HD. In the present case report, a patient was diagnosed with HD following chemotherapy for LCH. As LCH was diagnosed, the patient was treated with a combination of various chemotherapeutic agents in two cycles of cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone (COP), and eight cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP). The patient went into a successful clinical remission. One year later, computed tomographic (CT) scans of the thorax and abdomen revealed augmentation of the tumor mass in the mediastinum. An excisional biopsy of the right inguinal lymph node was performed. The patient was diagnosed with nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease. Following four cycles of doxorubicin (Adriamycin), bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD) chemotherapy, a whole-body positron emission tomographic CT scan revealed a decrease in tumor mass in the mediastinum. At present, the patient remains in treatment, and the prognosis has yet to be fully determined.
ABSTRACT
There is a current requirement for novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of hematopoietic tumors. Residual tumor cells are the main origin of tumor relapse. The aim of this study was to eliminate the residual tumor cells of hematopoietic tumors. Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells are used in immunotherapy to deplete the residual cells. However, it is necessary to increase the antitumor activity and clinical applicability of CIK cells. The present study investigated the antitumor activity of CIK cells to the SU-DHL2 human B-cell lymphoma and K562 human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell lines. CD3+CD56+ cells from healthy donors were expanded in culture with cytokines and anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb; rituximab) to generate CIK cells. A preliminary investigation of their mechanism was then performed. The increase in the cytotoxicity of the CIK cells induced by the anti-CD20 mAb was associated with an increase in the expression of cytotoxic factors. The expression of components of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathways was found to increase. Upregulation of the expression of STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5 is important as these co-stimulatory molecules enhance T-cell proliferation. Activation of the MAPK signaling pathway is a possible mechanism for the anti-apoptosis effect on the proliferation of CIK cells. In conclusion, anti-CD20 mAb may play an important role in the improvement of CIK-mediated cytotoxicity to tumor cells. These observations may aid in the improvement of the effects of immunotherapy in depleting the residual cells of hematopoietic tumors. Thus, the use of CIK cells cultured with anti-CD20 mAb could be a novel therapeutic strategy for the depletion of chemotherapy-resistant or residual cells in anaplastic large and B-cell lymphoma.
