title: Effect of autolymphocyte therapy on survival and quality of life in patients with metastatic renal-cell carcinoma.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Joint Clinical Immunotherapy Program, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Osband
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Lavin
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Babayan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Lamm
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sawczuk
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Krane
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D002927:Cimetidine