title: Cytokine-induced killer cell therapy for the treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma subsequent to liver transplantation: A case report.
abstract: Liver cancer, of which the most common form is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. Immunotherapy based on the direct attack of tumor cells and the stimulation of an antitumor immune response may represent a novel strategy to control HCC recurrence and metastasis. The present study reports the case of a patient with HCC, and describes the safety and feasibility of successful administration with a mass of autologous activated T cells on numerous occasions subsequent to liver transplantation (LT), in order to kill the residual tumor cells and stimulate the immune system. A large number of infused activated T cells may pose a potential risk to the allograft. However, no acute or delayed adverse effects of cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK) therapy, or other symptoms of secondary acute host-versus-graft disease (HVGD), were observed. These observations demonstrate the relatively low toxicity of CIK infusion to a patient that has undergone LT, and more importantly, they demonstrate the feasibility of this immunotherapy for the patient, following successful LT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China; Biotherapy Center, Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Runmei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China; Biotherapy Center, Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China; Biotherapy Center, Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China; Biotherapy Center, Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Baozhu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China; Biotherapy Center, Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhenzhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China; Biotherapy Center, Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiubao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ren
keywords: adoptive immunotherapy; cytokine-induced killer cell; hepatocellular carcinoma; host-versus-graft disease; liver transplantation