Adoptive Immunotherapy for Small Cell Lung Cancer by Expanded Activated Autologous Lymphocytes: a Retrospective Clinical Analysis

Background: To investigate the clinical efficacy of expanded activated autologous lymphocytes (EAAL) inpatients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Materials and
Methods: A total of 32 SCLC patients were selectedand randomly divided into EAAL treatment and control groups, 16 cases in each. EAAL were obtained byproliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients followed by phenotype determination.Clinical data of all patients were recorded. Patients of both groups were followed up and the overall survival(OS) were compared retrospectively.
Results: After culture and proliferation in vitro, the percentages of CD3+,CD3+CD8+, CD45RO+, CD28+, CD29+, CD8+CD28+ and CD3+CD16+/CD56+ cells increased markedly (p<0.05).The OS of the EAAL treatment group was longer than that of control group, but the difference was not statisticallysignificant (p=0.060, HR=0.487, 95%CI 0.228~1.037). 1- to 3-year survival rates in EAAL treatment group werelonger than those in control group, but there was still no significant difference (p>0.05). COX multivariateregression analysis showed that the number of chemotherapy cycles and the application of EAAL immunotherapywere independent prognostic factors for SCLC patients. The OS in females and chemotherapy≤6 cycles wereobviously prolonged after EAAL immunotherapy.
Conclusions: In vitro induction and proliferation of EAALis easy and biologically safe. Generally, EAAL adoptive immunotherapy can evidently prolong the OS of SCLCpatients.