In a nutshell
This study investigated the effectiveness of the combined treatment with cytokine-induced killer cell (CIKC) immunotherapy and chemotherapy after surgery in colorectal cancer. Researchers suggested that this therapy improves treatment outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.
Some background
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. A significant number of patients present with metastatic (spread to other parts of the body) disease at diagnosis. The standard treatment for this is surgery and chemotherapy. However, about 35% of these patients have a recurrence (cancer comes back) after the treatment.
Immunotherapy improves recurrence and the recovery of the immune system in these patients. CIKC is a type of immunotherapy that consists in isolating CIKC from the patients’ blood. This blood is then treated and infused back to the patient. CIKC recognizes and kills tumor cells that might persist in the body after surgery.
Prior studies showed that CIKC is active against different types of tumors with fewer side effects. However, only one study reported the effects of CIKC treatment after colorectal cancer surgery, but only 21 patients were included. More and larger studies are necessary to evaluate CIKC effectiveness in colorectal cancer.
Methods & findings
This study included information about 122 patients with colorectal cancer. These patients were treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy. 62 patients received chemotherapy only while the other 60 patients received chemotherapy and CIKC therapy. The average follow-up period was 54.5 months.
In the CIKC group, the 1-year disease-free survival (DFS; time from treatment to progression) was 98.3%. The 5-year DFS was 70.7% in the CIKC group. In the chemotherapy only group, the 1-year DFS was 85.5% and the 5-year DFS was 48.3%.
The 1-year overall survival (OS; time from treatment to death by any cause) was 98.3% in the CIKC group. The 5-year OS was 88.7% in the CIKC group. This was compared to a 98.4% 1-year OS and a 72.4% OS in the chemotherapy only group.
No significant side effects were reported. There were 10 side effects reported in the CIKC group. These were mild and included fever, high blood pressure, skin itching, and fatigue.
The bottom line
This study concluded that CIKC treatment combined with chemotherapy after surgery improved the survival of patients with colorectal cancer and was well tolerated.
The fine print
This study was based on medical records. Some information might have been incomplete. This might affect the results.
Published By :
Oncoimmunology
Date :
May 05, 2020
