The aim of this study was to determine by computed tomography (CT) whether treatment with tumor-draining lymph-node-derived expanded autologous T lymphocytes results in objective responses and/or improved survival in patients with metastatic urinary bladder cancer (UBC) and to record the toxicity of the treatment.
Eighteen patients with metastatic UBC were prospectively selected from two centers The preoperative staging was T2-T4bN1-2 and/or M0-M1 or MX Tumor-draining lymph nodes were harvested at intended cystectomy for the extraction of T lymphocytes This was followed by expansion of the T lymphocytes in a cell culture, and subsequent reinfusion of these autologous tumor-specific T lymphocytes Responses to therapy were evaluated by CT scans according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) and clinical follow-up, according to the research protocol
Nine out of 18 patients were treated Treatment was feasible and safe In two out of nine immunologically treated patients, objective responses were detected in terms of diminished or obliterated nodal metastases When excluding three patients with disseminated osseous metastases plus one with a T4b tumor left in situ, a success rate of two out of six treated patients was seen The two responders had survival times of 35 and 11 months, respectively No toxicity was recorded
Infusion of expanded autologous tumor-specific T lymphocytes is feasible and safe, and objective responses according to RECIST were recorded One objective responder to immunotherapy displayed notably long overall survival
Scandinavian journal of urology 2015 Jul 04 [Epub ahead of print]
Amir Sherif, Mudhar N Hasan, Eva Radecka, Alvaro Lozano Rodriguez, Sarab Shabo, Mona Karlsson, Martin C Schumacher, Per Marits, Ola Winqvist
Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Urology and Andrology, Umeå University , Umeå , Sweden