[Effect of Low-Dose Recombinant Interleukin-2 Therapy on Immunocyte Subsets in Children with Solid Tumor].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of low-dose recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) therapy on immunocyte subsets and its side effects in children with solid tumor. METHODS: A total of 22 children (11 males and 11 females) with solid tumor in our department from December 2012 to November 2017 were selected, with a median age of 9 (3-16) years old when starting IL-2 therapy. ALL surgeries and chemotherapy of children had been completed before low-dose rIL-2 therapy, and 17 cases achieved complete remission (CR) and 5 cases achieved partial remission (PR). A low-dose rIL-2 therapy was given 1 month after chemotherapy for 1 year: 4×105 IU/(m2·d), s.c. for every other day, 3 times per week. The immunocyte subsets were detected every 3 months until the end of treatment, meanwhile, disease condition and therapy-related side effects were followed up. RESULTS: After low-dose rIL-2 therapy in 22 children, the absolute values of CD3+ T cells, CD3-CD56+ natural killer cells, CD3+CD4+ helper T cells (Th) and CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T cells were up-regulated remarkably, as well as Th/suppressor T cells (all P < 0.05). While, there were no significant differences in absolute value and proportion of CD4+CD25+CD127- Treg cells during therapy. Among the 17 children who achieved CR before rIL-2 therapy, 14 cases continued to maintain CR after therapy, while 3 cases relapsed, and with 2 died after treatment abandonment. The 5 children who achieved PR before low-dose rIL-2 therapy were evaluated CR by PET/CT scan after treatment. In the early stage of low-dose rIL-2 therapy, 1 child developed skin rashes at the injection sites, and 2 children ran a slight to mild transient fever. Their symptoms disappeared without any organ damage after symptomatic treatment. CONCLUSION: Low-dose rIL-2 therapy has good drug tolerance, and changes the distribution of anti-tumor immune-cell subgroup in peripheral blood of children with solid tumor remarkably without up-regulation of absolute value and ratio of Treg cells.

[Expression of ICAM-1 (CD54) in pediatric tumor and acute leukemia and its clinic significance in immunotherapy with CIK cell].

This study was aimed to investigate the expression of ICAM-1 (CD54) in pediatric tumor and acute leukemia (AL), so as to understand the distribution of ICAM-1 and its clinical significance. The expression of ICAM-1 in tissues of 46 pediatric tumor patients were detected by immunohistochemistry, and in bone marrow cells of 60 pediatric acute leukemia (AL) patients were detected by flow cytometry. 46 pediatric tumor patients included 10 lymphoma, 3 hepatoblastoma, 6 neuroblastoma, 2 rhabdomyosarcoma, 6 Ewing's bone sarcoma, 2 fibrosarcoma, 5 primitive neuroectodermal tumor, 11 nephroblastoma and 1 osteosarcoma. 60 AL pediatric patients included 20 acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) patients and 40 acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) patients containing 20 M1, M2, M3 patients and 20 M4, M5. The results indicated that expression of ICAM-1 was more positive in all 3 hepatoblastoma cases, which represent a higher positive rate than that in lymphoma, neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma of bone and osteosarcoma. However, no expression of ICAM-1 was observed in fibrosarcoma, nephroblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumor patients. On the other hand, the expression rate of ICAM-1 was 55 in ALL, 65 in ANLL M1, M2, M3, and 50 in ANLL M4, M5. It is concluded that the expression of ICAM-1 in pediatric tumor and AL has variability. The ICAM-1 positive expression is observed in hepatoblastoma and ANLL M1, M2, M3 patients, whereas it is undetectable in fibrosarcoma, nephroblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumor patients.