Retrospective analysis of the efficacy of adjuvant CIK cell therapy in epithelial ovarian cancer patients who received postoperative chemotherapy

Abstract

Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells are demonstrated to possess potent cytolytic effect against ovarian cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. However, the clinical efficacy of maintenance therapy of CIK cells in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) after first-line treatment remains unclear. This retrospective study included 646 cases of postoperative EOC patients, 72 of which received chemotherapy and sequential immunotherapy (CIT group), and 574 of which received only chemotherapy (Control group). Patients in the CIT group received at least four cycles of CIK cell (range 8.0 × 109 – 1.3 × 1010 cells) transfusion, with the interval of each cycle being 2 weeks. Survival analysis showed a significantly higher overall survival (OS) rate in the CIT group compared with the control group, as well as a favorable progression-free survival (PFS). Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that adjuvant CIT was an independent prognostic factor for the OS of patients with EOC. Furthermore, subgroup analyses showed that adjuvant CIT significantly improved the OS of patients older than 45 years, with CA125 ≤ 1000, or with moderate or poorly differentiated tumors, and prolonged the PFS of patients with residual disease > 1 cm. Additionally, Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed that a higher fraction of CD3+CD8+/CD3+CD56+ phenotypes or lower percentage of CD3+CD4+/CD3−CD56+ phenotypes in the infused CIK cells significantly associated with better survival of patients with EOC. Furthermore, across all processes of CIK cell immunotherapy in the CIT group, 12.5% (9/72) of patients developed self-limiting light fevers and shivering at grade 1 or 2. No immunotherapy-related serious reactions were recorded. These data indicate that adjuvant CIT with CIK cells is an effective therapeutic approach to prolonging the survival of EOC patients.

Ovarian Cancer Immunotherapy: Turning up the Heat

“…There are signals that CIKs could be useful in the adjuvant setting, but further evidences are needed [70].…”

Efficacy of adjuvant cytokine-induced killer cell immunotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer after radical resection

“…12 Among them, CIK cells, which have several characters of rapid proliferation, strong MHC-unrestricted cytolytic activity against a broad range of tumor cells, and minimal toxicity, 13,14 may be an alternative immunotherapeutic strategy for CRC patients. 12 Our and others previous clinical studies also observed the safety and efficacy of CIK cell treatment for several kinds of solid cancers, [15][16][17][18][19] including CRC. 20,21 However, to our knowledge, only one study had reported the role of CIK cell immunotherapy in the adjuvant therapeutic periods of CRC after radical surgery, and their results were limited by small sample size with only 21 patients receiving CIK cell treatment.…”

Preclinical immunotherapy with Cytokine-Induced Killer lymphocytes against epithelial ovarian cancer

“…Early evidence from clinical trials support the feasibility and safety profile of CIK immunotherapy, with initial signs of activity and positive impact on survival outcomes in multiple solid tumors, including ovarian cancer either in advanced 31,34,38,42,[59][60][61] or even adjuvant or post-chemotherapy maintenance settings 62 .…”