title: In vitro-activated tumor-specific T lymphocytes prolong the survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Conventional tumor managements have limited survival benefits and cause severely impaired immune function in patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) whereas immunotherapies could restore antitumor immunity. This prospective cohort study was aimed at investigating the efficacy of in vitro-activated tumor-specific T lymphocytes combined with chemotherapy on the survival of patients with advanced GC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and seventy-four postoperative patients were enrolled in this study to receive either activated T lymphocytes immunotherapy combining chemotherapy (71 patients) or only receive postoperative chemotherapy (203 patients). Overall survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier with log-rank test and Cox's regression methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The immunotherapy prolonged 9.8-month median survival for advanced gastric cancer (29.70 vs 19.70 months, P=0.036). Furthermore, immunotherapy significantly benefited the survival of patients who underwent radical, palliative resection, and stage III malignancy. No serious adverse effect was observed in the immunotherapy group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In vitro-activated tumor-specific T lymphocytes prolonged survival in patients with advanced GC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuai
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: First Department of General Surgery.
authors.forename: Guang-Jun
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Second Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xin-Xiang Medical University, Henan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Jie
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: First Department of General Surgery.
authors.forename: Bao-Qin
authors.initials: BQ
authors.lastname: Gao
keywords: T lymphocytes; gastric cancer; immunotherapy; survival