Loco-regional immunotherapy with OK-432 and cultured autologous lymphocytes for patients with metastatic cancer
Kan, N.; Imamura, M.
Human Cell 6(2): 100-105
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0914-7470 PMID: 8217947 Document Number: 408551
Metastases from breast or gastrointestinal cancers have been treated loco-regionally with immunotherapy using OK-432 and cultured autologous lymphocytes since 1983. Response rate for patients with liver, lung, or pleural metastases from breast cancer was 57%, 53%, 90%, respectively, and for those with liver metastases from gastric or colo-rectal cancer was 31% or 29%. Survival of the patients with liver, pleural metastases from breast cancer, or with peritoneal seeding from gastric cancer was prolonged when compared with historical controls. Immunotherapy was one of significant prognostic factor to prolong the survival in patients with pleural effusion from breast cancer, with Stage IV breast cancer, or with peritoneal seeding from gastric cancer. Moreover, concomitant regression of non-treated metastatic sites after the response of treated disease was often observed especially in breast cancer patients with both liver and bone metastases or with Stage IV disease. Thus, loco-regional immunotherapy can show a systemic beneficial effect.