title: The effects of cytokine-induced killer cells for the treatment of patients with solid tumors: a clinical retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells exert high impact on adoptive immunotherapeutic approaches for malignant tumors. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adjuvant immunotherapy with CIK cells on the prognosis of solid tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected by a blood cell separator from 40 patients, then expanded by priming them with interferon-gamma followed by monoclonal antibody against CD3 and interleukin-2 the next day. The phenotypic patterns of CIK cells were characterized by flow cytometry on days 0, 7, 10, 14 and 21 of incubation, respectively. Then, 5 ml of venous blood was obtained from 40 patients before and after CIK cells were transfused into patients to assess the influence of CIK cells on the percentages of effector cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 14 days of incubation in vitro, the percentages of CD3(+), CD8(+), CD3(+) and CD56(+) increased significantly (P < 0.05). The clinical symptoms of 40 patients were improved apparently. The 6-month, 1-year and 3-year overall survival rates were 70.0, 60.0 and 57.5%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicated that CIKs immunotherapy can be an effective adjuvant instrument of the routine therapy of malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Rd, Nanjing 210029, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jinying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lingjun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Lingxiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yongmei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Yongqian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000276:immunology; D055612:Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D017252:CD3 Complex; D007376:Interleukin-2; D007371:Interferon-gamma