title: Augumentation of splenic antitumor immunity by local immunotherapy in gastric cancer patients.
abstract: We previously reported that the antitumor effect of OK-432, a streptococcal preparation, was markedly augmented when this agent was injected into tumors together with fibrinogen. In order to elucidate the effect of this treatment on the spleen, we assessed splenic function in gastric cancer patients receiving preoperative local immunotherapy with OK-432 and fibrinogen. Immunohistochemical studies of the spleen at 7 days after intratumoral injection therapy revealed numerous macrophages phagocytizing OK-432 in the splenic sinuses. Phenotypic analysis of splenocytes by flow cytometry revealed an increase in the CD4/CD8 ratio and in the expression of HLA-DR, CD25, and Leu M3 by splenic T cells of the patients treated with OK-432 plus fibrinogen when compared to patients treated with OK-432 alone or untreated patients. Splenic T cells from patients treated with OK-432 plus fibrinogen showed significantly higher cytotoxicity against Daudi and K562 cells than T cells from control patients (p < 0.05), and culture of these splenic T cells with recombinant IL-2 induced the expansion of lymphokine-activated killer cells. These results demonstrate that local immunotherapy with a mixture of OK-432 and fibrinogen effectively augumented splenic antitumor immunity in gastric cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wakasugi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Monden
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katsumoto
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sakita
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiozaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monden
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010844:Picibanil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010844:Picibanil; D005340:Fibrinogen