Determinants of response and resistance to cytokine-induced killer cell immunotherapy for advanced solid tumors
Wenjun Wang 1*, Chengzhi Zhou 1, Sipei Wu 2, Yalei Zhang1, Puyi Lie1,Shunjun Jiang1, Yiping Jiang 1, Jianxing He1*
  1. State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, China
  2. Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital and Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China
Correspondence to: Wenjun Wang and Jianxing He, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510120, China, E-mail: wwj01@foxmail.com,hejx@vip.163.com.
This study aimed to understand the influence of naïve T cells in cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cell immunotherapy. A total of 68 patients with advanced solid tumors received activated autologous CIK cells weekly. Objective responses (complete or partial responses, CR/PR) were observed in 11 patients (16.2%, 11/68), with five of 11 responses lasting more than 8 months, and in 16 patients with SD (23.5%, 16/68). The absolute number of CD4+ naïve T cells in patients who achieved CR/PR was higher in SD and PD patients (CR/PR vs SD vs PD= 90 vs 149 vs 226 cells/μL), as were the absolute number of CD8+ naïve T cells (CR/PR vs SD vs PD= 47 vs 60 vs 103 cells/μL). Patients with high absolute numbers of naïve T cells ({greater than or equal to}298 cells/μL in naïve CD4+ and {greater than or equal to}156 cells/μL in naïve CD8+ cells) had a better response to ACT (PFS=8 months vs 5 months). In this study, we found that Patients with a high absolute number of naïve T cells in circulating blood had a better response to ACT, which showed the potential of naïve T cells as a biomarker for the response to ACT.
Keywords: Adoptive T cell therapy (ACT), cytokine-induced killer cell immunotherapy, naïve T cells,immunological monitoring