Cytokine induced killer cell-based immunotherapies in patients with different stages of renal cell carcinoma

Cytokine induced killer (CIK) cell-based treatments have shown antitumor activity against renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in vitro and in vivo. But the therapeutic options and benefits of various CIK cells were unknown for different stages of RCC. In this random clinical trial, the 3-year disease free survival (DFS) of operable RCC patients treated with autologous tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cells co-cultured with cytokine induced killer (Ag-DC-CIK) was 96.7% compared with 57.7% in the control group. Ag-DC-CIK immunotherapy decreased the risk of post-operative disease progression and relapse (P = 0.0418). In inoperable RCC patients treated with CIK, the 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were significantly longer than the control group (P = 0.0116 and P = 0.0212). The CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio in peripheral blood increased after the last cell infusion in the CIK treatment group, and especially further increased in the Ag-DC-CIK treatment group (P = 0.002). No severe toxicity was observed after infusion of CIK cells. Therefore, tumor antigen-sensitized Ag-DC-CIK cells might be more efficient and personalized for the patients with tumor resection, and CIK cells could improve the prognosis for those inoperable patients. According to the stages of RCC patients, different CIK cell-based immunotherapies would help to achieve more beneficial effects.