title: Adoptive immunotherapy of human cancer: the cytokine cascade and monocyte activation following high-dose interleukin 2 bolus treatment.
abstract: Serum concentration kinetics of gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma), neopterin, 2'-5' A synthetase and tumor necrosis factor alpha were determined in five cancer patients undergoing adoptive immunotherapy with high-dose interleukin 2 (IL-2) bolus infusion and lymphokine-activated killer cells according to the National Cancer Institute, NIH protocol. In all cases a significant increase of these markers was observed after IL-2 treatment. This suggests that the antitumor effect of high-dose IL-2 bolus administration may be in part mediated by activation of a cascade of endogenous cytokines including IFN-gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha. After IL-2 bolus injection, the kinetics of neopterin was similar but delayed when compared to that of IFN-gamma: this suggests that macrophages, the specific source of neopterin, become activated by IFN-gamma following IL-2-mediated lymphocyte induction, thus implying a possible role for macrophages in the antitumor effects mediated by IL-2 and lymphokine-activated killer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boccoli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Masciulli
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carlini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giannella
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montesoro
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mastroberardino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Isacchi
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Calabresi
mesh_terms: D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase / Q000097:blood; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000276:immunology*; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D019798:Neopterin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D001708:Biopterins; D019798:Neopterin; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase