A case of recurrent ovarian cancer successfully treated with adoptive immunotherapy and lentinan.

BACKGROUND: Immunotherapy is useful for the prevention of the post-operative recurrence of some types of cancer and, in combination with certain anticancer drugs, is expected to prolong survival time. However, the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy alone against advanced cancer has not yet been demonstrated. CASE REPORT: A 67-year-old woman with ovarian cancer who had undergone post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy suffered from recurrent cancer in the lymph nodes. A partial response to adoptive immunotherapy and the administration of the biological response modifier, lentinan containing beta-glucan as the principal component, was maintained for five months without the use of chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Adoptive immunotherapy with lentinan alone was potentially useful for the treatment of lymph node metastases from ovarian cancer.

Efficacy of immuno-cell therapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma have a risk of relapse after primary therapy, and the prognosis for these patients remains bleak. The effect of immuno-cell therapy in advanced pancreatic carcinoma, with or without other standard therapies, was examined. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-six patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma, undergoing immuno-cell treatment, were evaluated. RESULTS: Of all the patients, those who received immuno-cell therapy alone accounted for 15.4% of partial response (PR), 23.1% of long-term stable disease (SD), 46.2% of SD and 15.4% of progressive disease (PD), and had a 50% survival time of 14.5 months. The respective values for the 28 patients undergoing immuno-cell therapy with gemcitabine were 10.7% of PR, 10.7% of long-term SD, 32.1% of SD and 46.4% of PD, with a 50% survival time of 15.8 months; for 5 patients undergoing immuno-cell therapy with UFT or TS-1, the values were 0% of PR, 0% of SD, 20.0% of SD and 80.0% of PD, with a 50% survival time of 16.1 months. CONCLUSION: The combination of immuno-cell therapies with standard therapies may be effective in the short-term in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Long-term survival depends on the presence of metastases and the duration of coadministration with these standard therapies.

Combined immunocell therapy using activated lymphocytes and monocyte-derived dendritic cells for malignant melanoma.

BACKGROUND: The beneficial effects of immunocell therapy, using either activated lymphocytes (ALs) or dendritic cells (DCs), in the treatment of melanoma has been demonstrated. DCs are professional antigen-presenting cells that induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes against tumor cells. DC therapy may be promising when combined with ALs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with advanced melanoma, who underwent immunocell therapy with both ALs and DCs, were reviewed. DCs were pulsed with tumor lysates, peptides or both. RESULTS: Side-effects were occasional slight fever and skin erythema. Among 8 of the 14 patients treated with immunocell therapy alone, 1 showed a mixed response (MR) and 1 prolonged stable disease (SD). In the remaining 6 patients treated with immunocell therapy and other conventional therapies, 1 CR, 1 MR and 1 prolonged SD for 24 months were observed. CONCLUSION: Combined immunocell therapy was well tolerated and showed a relatively high tumor response. This treatment may have therapeutic potential for some refractory malignancies.

[The influence of craniotomy on cytokines and immunological function].

The purpose of the study is to elucidate the effects of a craniotomy on patients regarding the cytokines and immunological function. TNF-alpha, IL-6, the CD4/8 ratio, cortisol, and WBC were all measured perioperatively in 29 patients. No serum TNF-alpha was detectable in any patients. The IL-6 level, cortisol and neutrophils all showed an increase with a peak at three hours after the end of operation. On the other hand, the lymphocytes and the CD4/8 ratio demonstrated a opposite pattern with a negative peak at the same time, however, these levels all gradually recovered to their preoperative states on the 7th operative day. The overall effect of a craniotomy was therefore found to correlate with the length of the operation.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma: the clinical features and treatment of 22 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the efficacy of chemotherapy after radiation therapy in immunocompetent patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 22 PCNSL patients was performed. Twenty-two patients were divided into a combined treatment (chemotherapy after radiation) group and a radiation group. The survival curves, calculated according to the Kaplan and Meier method, were compared using the Log-rank and Wilcoxon statistical analyses. RESULTS: Eight patients were treated with radiation therapy alone, and their median survival time (MST) after diagnosis was 21.9 months. Fourteen patients were treated with chemotherapy after radiotherapy. Six patients received chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine and prednisolone (CHOP), while 6 patients received carboplatin-based chemotherapy and 2 patients received methotrexate-based chemotherapy. The MST of these 14 patients was 34.4 months, which was not significantly better than that of the radiation therapy group (p=0.159). Leukoencephalopathy occurred in 3 patients, who received whole brain radiation. CONCLUSION: The use of chemotherapy after radiation has up to now been thought to be a standard treatment modality but CHOP or carboplatin-based chemotherapy did not improve the survival time.