Characteristic cytokine generation patterns in cancer cells and infiltrating lymphocytes in oral squamous cell carcinomas and the influence of chemoradiation combined with immunotherapy on these patterns.
OBJECTIVE
Cytokines produced by tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) appear to regulate tumor cell growth and the cytotoxic activity of TIL. The objectives of the present study were to investigate cytokine generation patterns in tumor cells and TIL and to examine the influence of cancer therapy on this cytokine production and the cytotoxic activity of TIL.


METHODS
We determined the levels of cytokines produced by tumor cells and TIL in vitro and measured the cytotoxic activity of TIL against Daudi cells in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSC) before and 1 week after the start of concomitant chemo-radio-immunotherapy.


RESULTS
Before the therapy, OSC cells generated higher levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) than did oral keratinocytes isolated from the noninflamed gingivae of healthy individuals, but both kinds of cells generated similar levels of interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6. Compared with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of the patients, TIL produced higher levels of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha and TGF-beta, whereas their production of IL-12 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was only slightly higher than that in PBMC. After 1 week of therapy, the cytokine production by OSC cells had largely decreased, while the production of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, TGF-beta and IL-12 by TIL had increased greatly, although other cytokine levels were almost constant during the investigations. The cytotoxic activity of TIL was higher than that of PBMC before the therapy, and this activity was strongly increased by 1 week of therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the cytokine productivities of TIL and tumor cells differ from those of PBMC and normal keratinocytes, respectively, and that chemo-radio-immunotherapy modulates in situ cytokine generation, which is advantageous for inhibition of tumor cell growth and activation of TIL.
Yamamoto
Tetsuya
T
Department of Oral Surgery, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku City, Japan. yamamott@kochi-ms.ac.jp
Kimura
Tsuyoshi
T
Ueta
Eisaku
E
Tatemoto
Yukihiro
Y
Osaki
Tokio
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
D016207:Cytokines; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D018664:Interleukin-12; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor