Experience of Autologous Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Zoledronate-Actived Gammadelta T Cells.

BACKGROUND: Several nations around the world have utilized autologous immune enhancement therapy in the treatment of cancer, with initial positive outcomes. This study describes our experience with autologous gamma delta T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer patients in Vietnam, a developing nation. METHODS: Five patients with non-small cell lung cancer at stages III - IV were enrolled in the study. Each patient received six infusions of autologous γδT cells, separated by two weeks. Before, during, at the end of treatment, and three and six months after treatment, a comprehensive evaluation of clinical, laboratory, quality of life, and adverse events related to the method was conducted. RESULTS: At the time of culture seeding, the total number of cells ranged from 2.9 to 18.2 x 106, with γδT cells ranging in number from 10.7 to 19.6 x 104. On day 14 of the culture, the number of γδT cells ranged from 3.1 to 8.3 x 108. Regarding the safety of therapy in a total of 30 infusions, two (fever), one (myalgia), and one (joint pain) were graded as 1 by CTCAE criteria. After the course, no toxicity was observed in the hematopoietic system, kidney function, or liver function. Evaluation of the patient's response in accordance with the RECIST 1.1 criteria: 20% of patients (one patient) had partial response disease, and 80% of patients (four patients) had stable disease at the end of treatment. During the follow-up period of the study, three patients were still alive, and the disease remained stable. The patient's quality of life improved after treatment in most functional measures (activity, cognitive, and social), but physical and emotional scores decreased slightly. Two patients' fatigue symptoms increased, but after six months of treatment, the average value dropped from 25.3 to 8.3. Dyspnea symptoms decreased gradually from 33.3 at the start of treatment to 8.3 six months later. CONCLUSIONS: The initial results we obtained regarding the efficacy and safety of autologous γδT cell immunotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer are extremely encouraging and comparable to those of previous studies.

A case of response to combination treatment with autologous immunotherapy and bevacizumab in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Natural killer (NK) cells have developed as a potent tool in cancer immunotherapy. Especially, patients who have failed in the first-line or maintenance treatment received a good response with immunotherapy in association with other approaches. We report the case of a 61-year-old male patient with programmed cell death ligand - 1(PD-L1) expression in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (stage IV). Even though the patient was treated with standard therapy using keytruda, he still appeared with new lesions. Therefore, the patient was treated in combination with autologous NK cells therapy, gemcitabine, bevacizumab. NK cells were expanded from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of the patient, and after that, they were transferred back to the patient. After 6 infusions of autologous NK cells in combination with gemcitabine, bevacizumab, the patient decreased significantly the size of primary, metastatic lesions and had a marked improvement in the quality of life. Besides, during combination therapy, no side effects have been reported and there was no toxicity observed in the hematopoietic system, liver as well as kidneys. Our case suggests that this treatment regimen is a potential treatment approach for advanced NSCLC with PD-L1 expression.

Comparison of Transoral Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach and Unilateral Axillobreast Approach for Endoscopic Thyroidectomy: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Various approaches for endoscopic thyroidectomy have been developed recently that improve the cosmetic outcome, and some are even scar free. In this study, we compared the safety and surgical outcomes of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) and unilateral axillobreast approach (UABA) thyroid surgery performed by a single surgeon. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study among 101 patients undergoing endoscopic thyroidectomy from 2018 to 2019 in our institution. The factors analyzed included patients' clinical characteristics, types and time of operation, blood loss, hospital stay, postoperative complications, and cosmetic satisfaction. Results: Among 101 patients, 51 underwent TOETVA and 50 had UABA surgery. UABA has shorter operative time for lobectomy (91.7 ± 16.5 minutes versus 50.4 ± 6.8 minutes, P < .001), whereas TOETVA is associated with less postoperative pain (visual analogue scale score day 1 of 4.6 ± 1.0 versus 5.8 ± 1.0, P < .001). There were no significant differences between TOETVA and UABA groups regarding rates of transient recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (9.8% versus 2.0%, P = .205) and hypothyroidism (11.5% versus 2.0%, P = .112), in which all patients fully recovered 6 months after surgery and most of them were satisfied with the cosmetic result. Conclusions: Both TOETVA and UABA have been shown to be effective and safe surgical options for endoscopic thyroid surgery, as well as gave excellent cosmetic result. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, and choice of technique should be tailored for each individual, and patient preference should be integrated in the treatment plan.