Effect of autolymphocyte therapy on survival and quality of life in patients with metastatic renal-cell carcinoma.
To assess the value of autolymphocyte therapy (ALT) in the treatment of metastatic renal-cell carcinoma, 90 patients were randomised to receive every month for six months oral cimetidine plus an infusion of autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes activated in vitro by a previously generated autologous lymphokine mixture, or cimetidine alone. The median follow-up was 15 months. Survival time for the autolymphocyte group was approximately 2.5 times that for the cimetidine group (p = 0.008). Patients who had greater than 500 pg interleukin-1 (IL-1) per ml autologous lymphokine mixture had a six-fold survival advantage over those with less than 500 pg/ml (p less than 0.00005). Men treated with ALT had a four-fold survival advantage (p = 0.001) over men who received cimetidine only. Infusion of the cultured autolymphocytes was accompanied by mild, self-limited fever in 11 of the 45 ALT patients, and by only one instance in which fever was accompanied by tachypnoea and hypotension.
Osband
M E
ME
Joint Clinical Immunotherapy Program, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts.
Lavin
P T
PT
Babayan
R K
RK
Graham
S
S
Lamm
D L
DL
Parker
B
B
Sawczuk
I
I
Ross
S
S
Krane
R J
RJ
D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000494:pharmacology; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D017710:Lymphocyte Transfusion; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012737:Sex Factors
D007375:Interleukin-1; D002927:Cimetidine