Perilymphatic injections of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) partially correct the immunologic defects in patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are severely immunocompromised. In virtually all such patients who have been studied, reduced numbers of circulating CD3+ T-cell-receptor (TCR)alpha/beta+ T lymphocytes, a reduction of natural killer (NK) activity, and a poor induction of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell activity (following in vitro treatment with recombinant interleukin-2 [rIL-2]) have been detected. Recently, however, it has been demonstrated that perilymphatic injections of low doses of rIL-2 may induce a local reduction of tumor masses in these patients. The present study, a cooperative pilot effort on the clinical effects of this route of administration, showed an activation of the lytic machinery in lymphocytes belonging to the T-cell lineage, as well as a potentiation of NK activity in the peripheral blood. These findings demonstrated that the severe immunodeficiency of HNSCC patients may be at least partially corrected by in vivo administration of rIL-2.
Melioli
G
G
Laboratorio di Patologia Clinica, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genova, Italy.
Margarino
G
G
Scala
M
M
Mereu
P
P
Bertoglio
S
S
Schenone
G
G
Barbaresi
M
M
Machí
A M
AM
Santi
L
L
Badellino
F
F
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host / Q000276:immunology*; D007272:Injections, Intralymphatic; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010498:Perilymph; D010641:Phenotype; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins