Treatment-Related Toxicities
The most common AEs arising from treatment with CIK cells during the study were fever; all fevers rose no higher than 38°C and spontaneously resolved within 12 h. Additional AEs observed were decreased albumin levels, increased serum AST and ALT levels, anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, chills, hypothyroidism and vitiligo. All grades of treatment-related AEs occurred in 25 of 68 patients (36.8%), and most of the cytotoxicity assay results were grade 1 or 2 (22 of 25 patients, 88%). Grade 3 or 4 treatment-related AEs were observed in only 3 patients (12%). One NSCLC and one CRC patient were observed with grade 3 fever, and grade 3 chill was observed in another HCC patient during treatment (Table 1).