In a nutshell
This study discussed adoptive immunotherapy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors concluded that AIT was effective at treating patients with NSCLC and therefore showed potential for future use.
Some background
Adoptive immunotherapy (AIT) is an emerging treatment for cancer. It involves taking a patient’s own immune cells out of the body and activating them to fight against the cancer. The cells are then transplanted back into the patient. This treatment can involve different types of immune cells, including cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK cells), dendritic cells (DC cells) and lymphokine-activated killer cells (LAK cells). The effectiveness of this type of treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still not fully known.
Methods & findings
This meta-analysis aimed to determine which type of AIT was most effective for patients with NSCLC. The authors included 15 studies with a combined 1684 patients. There were 779 patients treated with AIT compared to 905 patients treated with other types of anti-cancer treatment.
The overall survival (OS, time from beginning trial to death) 1 year, 2 years, 3 years and 5 years after treatment was better for patients treated with AIT than the control group.
Progression free survival (PFS, time from beginning trial until disease progression) was better at 1 year and 2 years after treatment for patients treated with AIT than the control group.
Treatment using CIK cells or a combination of DC and CIK cells was more effective than LAK cells.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that AIT treatment is effective at treating patients with NSCLC.
Published By :
Oncotarget
Date :
Jul 18, 2017
