Adoptive immunotherapy of advanced melanoma patients with interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes selected in vitro with low doses of IL-2.
Freshly isolated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) from stage IV melanoma patients were cultured for 2 weeks with low doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2; 120 IU/ml), to select potentially for tumor-specific lymphocytes present in the neoplastic lesion, followed by high doses (6000 IU/ml) to achieve lymphocyte expansion. TIL were serially analyzed for their expansion, phenotype and cytotoxic activity against autologous and allogenic tumor cells. A preferential lysis of autologous melanoma cells was obtained in long-term cultures of 7/13 cases (54%), while the remaining ones showed a major-histocompatibility-complex-unrestricted, lymphokine-activated-killer(LAK)-like activity at the time of in vivo injection. Sixteen patients with metastatic melanoma were infused with TIL (mean number: 6.8 x 10(9), range: 0.35 x 10(9)-20 x 10(9)) and IL-2 (mean dose: 130 x 10(6) IU, range: 28.8 x 10(6)-231 x 10(6) IU); 1 complete and 3 partial responses were observed in 12 evaluable patients (response rate 33%). In all responding patients, injected TIL showed an in vitro preferential lysis of autologous tumor cells, while in no cases were TIL with LAK-like activity associated with a clinical response. The mean autologous tumor cytotoxic activity of TIL at the time of in vivo injection was significantly higher in responding patients in comparison to nonresponding ones, suggesting that a marked and preferential cytolysis of autologous tumor cells is associated with the therapeutic efficacy of TIL.
Arienti
F
F
Division of Experimental Oncology D. Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Belli
F
F
Rivoltini
L
L
Gambacorti-Passerini
C
C
Furlan
L
L
Mascheroni
L
L
Prada
A
A
Rizzi
M
M
Marchesi
E
E
Vaglini
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged
D007376:Interleukin-2