Activated T-cell and bispecific antibody immunotherapy for high-risk breast cancer - Bench to bedside

Nontoxic approaches are needed to improve overall survival (OS) and progres sion-free survival (PFS) for highrisk breast cancer. Combination immunother apy (IT) consisting of activated T cells (ATC), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and C TL (GM-CSF) was given after peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT). There were no major toxicities and there appear to be improvements in OS an d PFS over historical controls. In order to develop specific cytotoxic T ly mphocytes (CTL), we combined ATC with the use of bispecific antibody (BiAb) . By arming ATC with anti-CD3 x anti-HER2/neu BiAb (HER2BiAb), the approach converts nonspecific ATC into HER2/neu (HER2) specific CTL. ATC remain arm ed, kill tumor targets for days, and produce cytokines after binding to tum or. Arming ATC with BiAbs may prove to be effective for targeting a variety of tumors with and without high-dose chemotherapy. Copyright (C) 2001 S. K arger AG, Basel.