Metronomic cyclophosphamide schedule-dependence of innate immune cell recruitment and tumor regression in an implanted glioma model

•Five metronomic drug schedules are compared for immune response and tumor regression.•Tumor natural killer (NK) cells are highly sensitive to metronomic dosing interval.•Drug-free breaks > 6-days do not sustain NK cell activation, leading to tumor escape.•Long-term remission requires a strong, sustained anti-tumor innate immune response.•Increasing the metronomic drug dose may compensate for decreased NK cell responses.

Metronomic cyclophosphamide (CPA) treatment activates robust innate anti-tumor immunity and induces major regression of large, implanted brain tumor xenografts when administered on an intermittent, every 6-day schedule, but not on a daily low-dose or a maximum-tolerated dose CPA schedule. Here, we used an implanted GL261 glioma model to compare five intermittent metronomic CPA schedules to elucidate the kinetics and schedule dependence of innate immune cell recruitment and tumor regression. Tumor-recruited natural killer cells induced by two every 6-day treatment cycles were significantly ablated 1 day after a third CPA treatment, but largely recovered several days later. Natural killer and other tumor-infiltrating innate immune cells peaked 12 days after the last CPA treatment on the every 6-day schedule, suggesting that drug-free intervals longer than 6 days may show increased efficacy. Metronomic CPA treatments spaced 9 or 12 days apart, or on an alternating 6 and 9 day schedule, induced extensive tumor regression, similar to the 6-day schedule; however, the tumor-infiltrating natural killer cell responses were not sustained, leading to rapid resumption of tumor growth after day 24, despite ongoing metronomic CPA treatment. Increasing the CPA dose prolonged the period of tumor regression on the every 9-day schedule, but natural killer cell activation was markedly decreased. Thus, while several intermittent metronomic CPA treatment schedules can activate innate immune cell recruitment leading to major tumor regression, sustained immune and anti-tumor responses are only achieved on the 6-day schedule. However, even with this schedule, some tumors eventually relapse, indicating a need for further improvements in this immunogenic metronomic therapy.