title: Cytokine-induced killer cells in the treatment of patients with solid carcinomas: a systematic review and pooled analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cell therapy for solid carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a computerized search of phase II/III clinical trial databases of CIK cell-based therapy using a combination of the terms 'cytokine-induced killer cells', 'tumor' and 'cancer'.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment with CIK cells was associated with a significantly improved half-year survival (P = 0.003), 1-year survival (P = 0.0005), 2-year survival (P < 0.01) and mean survival time (MST) (P < 0.001). Patients in the CIK group showed a prolonged half-year progression-free survival (PFS) (P < 0.01), 1-year PFS (P < 0.01) and median time to progression (MTTP) (P < 0.001). A favored disease control rate (DCR) was observed in patients receiving CIK cell therapy, while the objective response rate (ORR) was not altered (P = 0.05) compared with the non-CIK group (P = 0.007). CIK cell therapy could also reduce the adverse effects of grade III and IV leukopenia caused by chemotherapy (P = 0.002) and diminish hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA content (P < 0.01). However, the incidence of fever in the CIK therapy group was significantly higher than in the non-CIK group (P = 0.02). The percentage of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD4(+)CD8(+), CD3(-) CD56(+) and CD3(+) CD56(+) T-lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of cancer patients was significantly increased, whereas the percentage of CD8(+) T-lymphocyte cells was significantly decreased in the CIK group compared with the non-CIK group (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CIK cell therapy has demonstrated a significant superiority in prolonging the MST, PFS, DCR and quality of life (QoL) of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shanghai Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Zan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ying-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhi-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Hong-Xia
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000628:therapy*; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D055612:Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000637:transplantation; D006801:Humans