title: Antitumor immunization of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients with a virus-modified autologous tumor cell vaccine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are aggressive tumors with poor 5-year survival rates, thus demanding new treatment concepts.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a nonrandomized study, 20 HNSCC patients were preconditioned with interleukin (IL) 2 and subsequently vaccinated with virus-modified autologous tumor cells prepared from short-term tumor cultures. Antitumor reactivity was determined by delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preconditioning of tumor patients with IL-2 prior to vaccination was associated with an increased number of T cells especially after a radiation-induced marked decrease, and levels of mitogen stimulation capacity were almost as high as before surgery. MHC class I molecules expressing autologous tumor cell cultures were successfully infected. Vaccination with virus-modified tumor cells was able to increase systemic antitumor reactivity as revealed by augmentation of DTH reactivity to unmodified tumor cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We provide evidence that a combination of preconditioning of HNSCC patients with IL-2 to improve their immune competence with subsequent vaccination with virus-modified autologous tumor cells leads to augmented antitumor DTH reactivity.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Cell Biology Group, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Saarbrücken, Germany. H.Mende@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Christel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herold-Mende
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karcher
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dyckhoff
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schirrmacher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016233:Immunotherapy, Active / Q000379:methods; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009522:Newcastle disease virus / Q000276:immunology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D007376:Interleukin-2