ADOPTIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY AS A TREATMENT MODALITY IN HUMANS

摘要

The present invention discloses a new approach to the therapy of cancer in humans based on the administration of lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells and interleukin-2 (IL-2). Twelve patients with metastatic cancer who had failed standard available therapy were treated. LAK cells were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained at multiple leukaphereses and incubated in the recombinant-derived lymphokine, IL-2. Following three to four days of incubation in IL-2, the resulting LAK cells were capable of lysing fresh tumor cells but not normal cells. These LAK cells were reinfused into the autologous patient, along with the intravenous administration of recombinant IL-2 every 8 hours. Patients received up to 90 doses of IL-2 and from 2.8 to 12.6 x 1010 activated cells from up to 14 sequential leukaphereses. Six patients showed objective regression of established cancer.