Efficacy of cascade-primed cell infusion as an adjuvant immunotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: A retrospective observational study with a 5-year follow-up.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Clinical studies have shown the efficacy of combination therapy for various malignancies. In this study, the characteristics, safety and feasibility of use of cascade-primed (CAPRI) cells for the combination treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Sixty-five patients with stage II-IV NSCLC were recruited. Of these patients, 31 patients received CAPRI cell therapy combined with chemotherapy (CAPRI group), and the other 34 patients constituted the control group and received chemotherapy alone. This study primarily aimed to evaluate the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), short-term responses and treatment efficacy. RESULTS: CD83, CD1a, CD80 and CD86 marker levels were significantly upregulated in CAPRI cells. Interferon-γ expression levels were highest in CD3+CD8+ cells (33.77% ± 4.40%). Furthermore, interleukin-2 levels were highest in CD3+CD56+ cells (26.73% ± 6.63%), whereas perforin expression levels were similar in CD3+CD8+ and CD3+CD56+ cells. Furthermore, CAPRI cells had a better anti-tumor potential in CD3+CD56+ cells and displayed the highest expression levels of CD107a to H460 and A549 cell lines. The 5-year OS was significantly greater in the CAPRI group than in the control group (P = 0.008), and the PFS of two groups exhibited a significant difference (P = 0.007). Median OS (48 versus 31.6 months; P = 0.004) and PFS (48 versus 36.4 months; P = 0.016) differed between these two groups. Moreover, treatment-associated toxicities were mild and well-tolerated by patients with NSCLC. CONCLUSION: CAPRI cell therapy potentially prolongs the survival of patients with NSCLC when combined with chemotherapy.