Evaluating the Safety and Quality of Life of Colorectal Cancer Patients Treated by Autologous Immune Enhancement Therapy (AIET) in Vinmec International Hospitals.

(1) Colorectal cancer (CRC) is an increasingly prevalent disease with a high mortality rate in recent years. Immune cell-based therapies have received massive attention among scientists, as they have been proven effective as low-toxicity treatments. This study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of autologous immune enhancement therapy (AIET) for CRC. (2) An open-label, single-group study, including twelve patients diagnosed with stages III and IV CRC, was conducted from January 2016 to December 2021. Twelve CRC patients received one to seven infusions of natural killer (NK)-cell and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL). Multivariate modelling was used to identify factors associated with health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) scores. (3) After 20−21 days of culture, the NK cells increased 3535-fold, accounting for 85% of the cultured cell population. Likewise, CTLs accounted for 62.4% of the cultured cell population, which was a 1220-fold increase. Furthermore, the QoL improved with increased EORTC QLQ-C30 scores, decreased symptom severity, and reduced impairment in daily living caused by these symptoms (MDASI-GI report). Finally, a 14.3 ± 14.1-month increase in mean survival time was observed at study completion. (4) AIET demonstrated safety and improved survival time and HRQoL for CRC patients in Vietnam.

Dual roles of oxostephanine as an Aurora kinase inhibitor and angiogenesis suppressor.

The Aurora kinases, including Aurora A, B and C, play critical roles in cell division. They have been found overexpressed in a number of types of cancer and may thus be potential targets in cancer therapy. Several Aurora kinase inhibitors have been identified and developed. Some of these have been used in clinical trials and have exhibited certain efficacy in cancer treatment. However, none of these has yet been applied clinically due to the poor outcomes. Oxostephanine is an aporphine alkaloid isolated from several plants of the genus Stephania. This compound has been reported to inhibit Aurora kinase activity in kinase assays and in cancer cells. The present study aimed to investigate the real­time effects of oxostephanine extracted from Stephania dielsiana Y.C. Wu leaves on the growth of an ovarian cancer cell line (OVCAR­8, human ovarian carcinoma); these effects were compared to those of the well­known Aurora kinase inhibitor, VX­680. The effects of oxostephanine on stromal cells, as well as endothelial cells were also examined. The results demonstrated that oxostephanine was an Aurora kinase inhibitor through the prevention of histone H3 phosphorylation at serine 10, the mislocalization of Aurora B and the induction of aneuploidy. Moreover, this substance was selectively cytotoxic to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (hUVECs), whereas it was less cytotoxic to human fibroblasts and umbilical cord­derived mesenchymal stem cells. In addition, this compound significantly attenuated the migration and tube formation ability of hUVECs. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that oxostephanine plays dual roles in inhibiting Aurora kinase activity and angiogenesis. Thus, it may have potential for use as a drug in cancer treatment.