title: T-cell growth factors and the treatment of patients with cancer.
abstract: T-cell maturation has traditionally been felt to occur primarily within the thymus but it is now clear that dynamic processes in the periphery govern many functions such as T-cell activation, proliferation, tolerization, and migration into peripheral tissues. Four T-cell growth factors have now been identified. These include: interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-7, and a potent cofactor recently described, IL-10. These factors are believed to work synergistically in the fine regulation of the lymphoid pool. Both IL-2 and IL-4 have entered clinical trials with significant responses in the IL-2-based regimens of up to 40 to 50% in certain tumors. IL-7 and IL-10 are in preclinical studies. Although IL-2, IL-4, and IL-7 have been shown to induce lymphokine-activated killer cell activity from sensitive precursors, such studies have yet to be performed with IL-10.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lotze
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D015851:Interleukin-7; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4