THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF OK-432-COMBINED ADOPTIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY AGAINST LIVER METASTASES FROM GASTRIC OR COLORECTAL CANCERS

Twenty-four patients with liver metastases from gastric or colorectal cancer were treated with OK-432-combined adoptive immunotherapy (AIT). Lymphocytes isolated from regional lymph nodes or peripheral blood we re cultured with medium containing T cell growth factor and sonicated tumor extract antigen (SE-Ag) for 9-13 days. The cultured lymphocytes were transferred mainly through the hepatic artery after the administr ation of OK-432, a streptococcal preparation. Sixteen of the 24 patien ts received a low dose of anti-cancer agents between the OK-432 inject ion and cell transfer. When cultured without SE-Ag, regional lymph nod e lymphocytes (RLNL) showed significantly (P<0.05) higher cytotoxic ac tivity against autologous tumor cells and, on the contrary, lower cyto toxic activity against K562 than peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). W hen cultured with SE-Ag, cytotoxicity of RLNL against autologous tumor cells was nearly equivalent to that of PBL. The blastogenesis of fres h PBL to SE-Ag was significantly (P < 0.05) augmented after the OK-432 -combined AIT. Two patients showed complete response and 4 patients sh owed partial response among 19 patients who had evaluable lesions. Fiv e patients whose liver metastases were resected were treated with OK-4 32-combined AIT as an adjuvant therapy. To date they are alive without recurrence in the liver.