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Combination of DC/CIK adoptive T cell immunotherapy with chemotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients: a prospective patients’ preference-based study (PPPS)

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Abstract

Background

Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has remained challenging to treat effectively. This study aimed to investigate the clinical effects and safety of immunotherapy with dendritic cells and cytokine-induced killer cells (DC-CIK) administered with chemotherapy (CT) in this malignancy.

Methods

We have developed a new clinical trial design termed as the prospective patient’s preference-based study (PPPS). Consecutive patients (n = 135) with advanced NSCLC were treated with DC-CIK administered with CT or mono-therapy (CT or DC-CIK alone).

Results

For all the patients, the median PFS was 5.7 months and the median OS was 17.5 months. The 1-year PFS and OS rates were 29.4% and 58.2%, respectively. The 1-year PFS and OS rates for DC-CIK plus CT were significantly higher than that in the group of patients who received DC-CIK alone and CT alone (P < 0.05). The number of adoptively infused DC-CIK cells was associated with clinical efficacy. After adjusting for competing risk factors, DC-CIK combined with CT and infused number of CIKs remained independent predictors of PFS and OS. Phenotypic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed that CD8+CD28+, and CD8+CD28− T cells, changed significantly in all groups (P < 0.01). The CD3+ T cells increased in the chemotherapy plus immunotherapy and the immunotherapy alone group (P < 0.01), while CD3−CD16+CD56 T cells decreased in the chemotherapy plus immunotherapy and the immunotherapy alone group (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

DC-CIK combined with chemotherapy administration resulted in numerically superior PFS and OS compared with monotherapy in advanced NSCLC.

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Author notes

  1. Y. Zhao and G. Qiao contributed equally to this article.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, Beijing Key Laboratory for Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines, Capital Medical University Cancer Center, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, 10 Tieyi Rd, Beijing, 100038, China

    Y. Zhao, G. Qiao, X. Wang, Y. Song, X. Zhou, N. Jiang, L. Zhou, H. Huang, J. Zhao & J. Ren

  2. Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    M. A. Morse

  3. Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, 571 Research Drive, Suite 433, Box 2606, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    M. A. Morse, A. Hobeika, J. Ren & H. K. Lyerly

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  1. Y. Zhao
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  2. G. Qiao
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  3. X. Wang
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  4. Y. Song
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  5. X. Zhou
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to J. Ren or H. K. Lyerly.

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Conflict of interest

The authors who have taken part in this study declared that they have nothing to disclose regarding funding or conflict of interest with respect to this manuscript.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the ethics committee of Capital Medical University.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Zhao, Y., Qiao, G., Wang, X. et al. Combination of DC/CIK adoptive T cell immunotherapy with chemotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients: a prospective patients’ preference-based study (PPPS). Clin Transl Oncol 21, 721–728 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-018-1968-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-018-1968-3

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