Comparison of intrapleural OK-432 and cisplatin for malignant pleural effusion in lung cancer patients

Malignant pleural effusion is typical of complications in advanced lung cancer patients, most of whom complain of dyspnea. The standard treatment for symptomatic pleural effusion is intrapleural administration of a chemical agent. In Japan, OK-432, a streptococcal preparation, and cisplatin (CDDP) have been among the most frequently used chemical agents. There have been very few reports on the efficacy of chemical agents for malignant pleural effusion. We compared therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of intrapleural OK-432 with CDDP in a case-control study. The subjects consisted of 32 lung cancer patients with malignant pleural effusion who were admitted to our hospital between January 2000 and June 2004. The therapeutic efficacy was assessed from duration of chest drainage after intrapleural administration, response rate, time to progression of malignant pleural effusion, and survival time. No statistically significant difference was observed for therapeutic efficacy. Although the OK-432-treated group had only grade 1 fever, chest pain, nausea, the CDDP-treated group had a grade 2 increase in creatinine and grade 3 nausea. Intrapleural OK-432 seemed to be better tolerated in the treatment of malignant pleural effusion than intrapleural CDDP.     

Comparison of OK-432 and mitomycin C pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion caused by lung cancer. A randomized trial.

A prospective randomized study to compare the effectiveness of pleurodesis by two new sclerosing agents: OK-432 and mitomycin C were conducted in 53 patients with malignant pleural effusion caused by lung cancer. None of the patients received concomitant systemic chemotherapy or radiation therapy during the study. After complete drainage of pleural fluid, the patients were allocated randomly to receive 10 Klinische Einheit units of OK-432 or 8 mg of mitomycin C by intrapleural injection at weekly intervals. The treatment was terminated if the pleural effusion disappeared or the patients had received four consecutive procedures. There were 26 patients who received pleurodesis with OK-432 and 27, with mitomycin C. Patient characteristics in the two treatment groups (age, sex, histologic type, performance status, and prior treatment before pleurodesis) were compatible. These results showed that pleurodesis with OK-432 achieved a higher complete response rate (73%) than that of mitomycin C (41%). The rates of objective treatment response (complete response plus partial response) were comparable in both groups (88% for OK-432 and 67% for mitomycin C). The average number of intrapleural injections needed to achieve complete response was fewer in the OK-432 group (1.9 +/- 0.9) than in mitomycin C group (2.8 +/- 0.9). There was no significant difference in the median survival of the patients who received pleurodesis with OK-432 (5.8 months) or mitomycin C (5.1 months). However, the effusion-free period in the OK-432 group was significantly longer than that in the mitomycin C group (7.0 months versus 1.5 months). Patients who underwent OK-432 pleurodesis had a higher complication rate (80%) than did those in the mitomycin C group (30%). Transient febrile reaction was the most common reaction encountered. The immunologic study in OK-432 group showed an increase in peripheral leukocyte count and decrease in the OKT4/OKT8 ratio. The mitomycin C group had a mild reduction in peripheral blood leukocyte count and no significant change in the OKT4/OKT8 ratio. It was concluded that pleurodesis with OK-432 is an effective alternative treatment for malignant effusion in patients with lung cancer.     

局部灌注沙培林和羟基喜树碱治疗恶性胸腔积液

[目的]观察沙培林(0K-432)和羟基喜树碱(HCPT)治疗恶性胸腔积液的近期临床疗效。[方法]对62例恶性胸腔积液患者采用胸腔置入贝朗可分裂中心静脉管持续引流，胸腔积液排放完后，给予沙培林5KE胸腔内注入，dl，HCPT30mg胸腔内注入，d2，每周2次，观察临床疗效与不良反应。[结果]沙培林与HCPT联合治疗恶性胸腔积液总有效率为88．7％，主要不良反应为发热和骨髓抑制。[结论]胸穿置管引流局部灌注沙培林和羟基喜树碱治疗恶性胸积液有较好的近期临床疗效，毒副反应可以耐受。     

顺铂联合甘露聚糖肽与联合OK-432胸腔注射治疗恶性胸腔积液的临床分析

[目的]对比观察中心静脉导管胸腔引流并顺铂联合甘露聚糖肽（多抗）或OK-432（沙培林）治疗恶性胸腔积液的临床疗效和毒副反应。[方法]99例恶性胸腔积液病人，随机分为2组：甘露聚糖肽组（A组）53例，OK432组（B组）46例。行中心静脉导管胸腔引流术，A组胸腔注射甘露聚糖肽和顺铂，B组胸腔注射0K432和顺铂。两组均每周重复，连续2～4周。[结果]A组RR43例（81．1％）。B组RR39例（84．8％），两组有效率无统计学差异（P=0．631）。A组有3例（5．7％）病人发热，B组有24例（52．2％）病人发热（P〈0．001）。[结论]中心静脉导管胸腔引流并顺铂联合甘露聚糖肽或OK432治疗恶性胸腔积液均较安全且方便，临床疗效相似，但沙培林组发热的发生率远高于甘露聚糖肽组。     

Multi-institutional randomized clinical study on the comparative effects of intracavital chemotherapy alone versus immunotherapy alone versus immunochemotherapy for malignant effusion.

The current prospective randomized study was designed to compare the effects of intracavitary (i.c.) chemotherapy vs immunotherapy vs immunochemotherapy for malignant effusion. Between 1992 and 1995, a total of 42 patients with malignant effusion were registered, and 41 patients were eligible for statistical analysis. The primary diseases of the eligible patients included 27 gastric, four colorectal, four pancreatic, three lung, two liver and one oesophageal cancers. The patients with malignant effusion were randomly assigned into one of three i.c. therapeutic regimens: chemotherapy alone with weekly injection of anticancer agents (ACAs: cisplatin, mitomycin-C, adriamycin, etc.) (Group A, n = 13); immunotherapy alone with weekly injection of streptococcal preparation OK-432 (Group B, n = 14); or immunochemotherapy with ACAs and OK-432 (Group C, n = 14). The response of the effusion, patient survival and the kinetics of cytokines in the effusion were compared. There were no differences in the patients' backgrounds. The side-effects of the regimens included pain, anorexia, fever, leucopenia and anaemia and there were no differences in their incidence among the three groups. One patient died after cisplatin (CDDP) administration in Group A. Cytologic examination revealed that tumour cells in the effusion disappeared in 23% of Group A cases, 36% of Group B cases and 36% of Group C cases. The malignant effusion did not disappear in any of the Group A cases; however, the effusion disappeared in 29% of Group B cases and 43% of Group C cases (P = 0.03, Group A vs Group C). Furthermore, the 50% survival period was 1.6 months for Group A, 2.4 months for Group B and 3.5 months for Group C. The 6-month survival rate was 7% for Group A, 6% for Group B and 34% for Group C, and the 1-year survival rate was 0%, 0% and 17% respectively (P = 0.048, Group A vs Group C by the log-rank test). The analysis of the cytokine kinetics revealed a prominent increase in the level of interleukin-6 in the effusion in Group C. These results suggest that i.c. immunochemotherapy with OK-432 and ACAs may be more beneficial than i.c. chemotherapy alone or immunotherapy alone.     

Intrapleural administration with OK-432 and cultured autologous pleural effusion lymphocytes for breast cancer patients with malignant pleural effusions: analysis of 84 patients over a 14-year period

Autologous effusion lymphocytes cultured for 9-13 days with condition medium containing T cell growth factor were transferred after intrapleural administration with a streptococcal preparation, OK-432, for 84 breast cancer patients with cytologically-confirmed malignant pleural effusion. Effusion disappeared in 54 and decreased in 19 patients, while in 11 the treatment was ineffective (87% response). A positive cytology changed to negative in 52 of 55 (95%) of the patients tested, while in 29 patients, effusion sample could not be obtained after treatment. A multivariate analysis of prognostic factors showed a significantly poorer prognosis in patients with the following concomitant metastases: liver metastasis, lung metastasis with lymphangitis carcinomatosa, and simultaneous bilateral effusions. Median survival time (MST) of all patients was 9 months (5-year survival: 18%). However, MST of the patients with limited disease (patients without liver metastasis, lymphangitis, or bilateral effusion) was 23 months (5-year survival: 28%). Ten patients survived more than 5 years (3 survived over 10 years) after the treatment among 46 patients with follow-up periods of > 5 years.     

Analysis of 5-year survival among breast cancer patients with malignant pleural effusion receiving intrapleural OK-432 followed by adoptive transfer with cultured effusion lymphocytes

Since 1984, we have had 151 breast cancer patients with cytologically-confirmed malignant pleural effusions by local transfer of autologous effusion lymphocytes cultured with a conditioned medium containing T-cell growth factor after intrapleural preadministration of a streptococcal preparation, OK-432. Among the 81 patients given this therapy more than 5 years ago, 12 patients have survived 5 or more years, and 4 of these 12 have survived 10 (<) years. Patients surviving 5 (<) years had longer (32-204 months) disease-free periods, except for one patient with stage IV disease. Estrogen receptor was positive in 5 patients, negative in 1 patient, and unknown in 6 patients. Moreover, preceding or concomitant metastases in these patients were not life-threatening (6 chest-wall, 2 lymph-node, 4 lung, 3 bone metastases). In conclusion, effective therapy (effusion disappeared in all patients) and good control of concomitant metastases resulted in long-term survival of patients who had intrinsically better prognostic factors.     

Randomized phase II trial of three intrapleural therapy regimens for the management of malignant pleural effusion in previously untreated non-small cell lung cancer: JCOG 9515

To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of three intrapleural therapy regimens consisting of bleomycin (BLM), OK-432 (a pulverized product of heat-killed Streptococcus pyogenes) or cisplatin plus etoposide (PE) for the management of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) in previously untreated non-small cell lung cancer. Eligible patients were randomized to the BLM arm: BLM 1mg/kg (maximum 60mg/body), the OK-432 arm: OK-432 0.2 Klinische Einheit units (KE)/kg (maximum 10KE/body), or the PE arm: cisplatin (80mg/m(2)) and etoposide (80mg/m(2)). Pleural response was evaluated every 4 weeks according to the study-specific criteria. All responders received systemic chemotherapy consisting of PE every 3-4 weeks for two or more courses. Pleural progression-free survival (PPFS) was defined as the time from randomization to the first observation of pleural progression or death due to any cause. The primary endpoint was the 4-week PPFS rate. Of 105 patients enrolled, 102 were assessed for response. The 4-week PPFS rate for the BLM arm was 68.6%, 75.8% for the OK-432 arm, and 70.6% for PE arm. Median survival time (MST) for the BLM arm was 32.1 weeks, 48.1 weeks for the OK-432 arm, and 45.7 weeks for the PE arm. However, the outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. Toxicity was tolerable in all arms except for one treatment-related death due to interstitial pneumonia induced by BLM. We will select intrapleural treatment using OK-432 in the management of MPE in NSCLC for further investigation because it had the highest 4-week PPFS rate.     

Adoptive immunotherapy against peritoneal metastases from stomach cancer--application of regional lymph node lymphocytes

Twenty-four patients with advanced stomach cancer were treated with OK-432 combined adoptive immunotherapy [AIT] as prophylaxis or therapy against peritoneal metastases. Lymphocytes isolated mainly from regional lymph nodes were cultured for 9-13 days with T cell growth factor and sonicated tumor extract. OK-432 administration and cell transfer were performed via a catheter inserted into the abdominal cavity at surgery. The proliferation rate of regional lymph node lymphocytes was higher than that of peripheral blood lymphocytes (p less than 0.01). Cultured regional lymph node lymphocytes expressed CD25 and CD4+45R- more frequently than those of peripheral blood lymphocytes. On the other hand, cytotoxic activity of regional lymph node lymphocytes were slightly lower than that of peripheral blood lymphocytes. These results suggest that regional lymph node lymphocytes could be used in AIT because of their different function from that of peripheral blood lymphocytes. Survival of the patients with peritoneal metastasis at primary laparotomy was higher than that of the historical control group (4-9 months after surgery). These results show that OK-432 combined adoptive immunotherapy appears to be a new therapeutic approach to peritoneal metastases from stomach cancer.     

Pleuritis carcinomatosa

The most used standard therapy for malignant pleural effusion(MPE)is tube thoracostomy drainage, except in cases where there are few pleural effusions or no symptoms. It has been reported that instilling an intrapleural agent is necessary for producing pleurodesis after tube thoracostomy drainage. To date, numerous chemical agents for the treatment of MPE have been studied. These include antibiotics, antineoplastic agents, biological response modifiers and others, that showed various degrees of chemical sclerosis. It was entered on a randomized comparison of tetracycline and bleomycin for treatment of MPE. The rate and time to recurrence were both significantly greater with bleomycin. In comparison, Talc was superior to bleomycin for control of MPE. Therefore, thoracoscopic pleurodesis with talc is now considered to be the gold standard treatment for MPE. However, talc has not been commercially available in Japan. We sought to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of three intrapleural therapy regimens consisting of bleomycin, OK-432 or cisplatin plus etoposide(PE), for the management of malignant pleural effusion in previously untreated non-small cell lung cancer. The primary endpoint, pleural progression-free survival did not differ significantly between groups. Intrapleural treatment using OK-432 in the management of MPE was selected because it had the highest 4-week pleural progression-free survival rate and toxicity was tolerable. At present, OK- 432 is the standard agent used in Japan.     

Clinical evaluation of intrapleural or peritoneal administration of lentinan and OK-432 for malignant effusion

It is very important to control the Th2-dominant condition in cancer patients while they are undergoing immunotherapy. OK-432 powerfully guides Th1 cytokine, but sometimes it can not eliminate the Th2 dominant state in cancer patients, which is needed to induce Th2 cytokine. Premedication with combined LTN and OK-432 is an effective therapy for controlling the Th1/Th2 balance. We tried administering LTN and OK-432 in the pleural or peritoneal cavity for patients with malignant effusion. Of all 9 lesions of the 8 cases, 6 showed complete remission and 1 showed partial response. The level of IL-12 (p70) and IFN-gamma in the pleural effusion or ascites of the combination group was higher than the OK-432 only group. In conclusion, LTN and OK-432 combined therapy appears to be an effective local treatment.     

A controlled study of maintenance chemoimmunotherapy vs immunotherapy alone immediately following palliative gastrectomy and induction chemoimmunotherapy for advanced gastric cancer

Summary A randomized trial of surgical adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy was conducted in patients who had undergone palliative gastrectomy for previously untreated advanced stomach cancer. First, all patients received the same induction chemoimmunotherapy with MFC (mitomycin C, 5-fluorouracil, and cytosine arabinoside) plus OK-432 for 6 weeks after surgery. The patients were then randomized to receive either chemoimmunotherapy with MFC plus OK-432 (group A) or immunotherapy with OK-432 alone (group B) for maintenance. The survival rate of patients was significantly higher in group B (44 cases) than in group A (39 cases) during the first 9 months after the start of induction therapy (P<0.05). A further division of patients in terms of carcinoma histology revealed a difference in survival rate only in patients with an undifferentiated histology (poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and signet-ring cell carcinoma), and not in those with a differentiated histology (papillary, tubular, and mucinous adenocarcinomas). These results indicate that simple immunotherapy with OK-432 is better for maintenance than chemoimmunotherapy involving MFC, particularly in patients with undifferentiated gastric carcinomas.Chairman of the Study Group: K. Ota     

Administration of docetaxel in cases of recurrent breast carcinoma with malignant pleural effusion controlled by intrapleural administration of OK-432

Docetaxel is an anti-tumor agent which promotes the congregation and stabilization of microtubules, there by preventing cell division. It is reported to have anti-tumor activity against breast or non-small cell lung carcinomas which have been resistant to other anti-tumor agents. On the other hand, it causes peripheral edema and effusion in the pleural or peritoneal cavities. Thus, pleural or peritoneal effusions, which require drainage have been considered to be contraindications for the administration of docetaxel. OK-432 is an agent which causes adhesion by evoking a local inflammatory reaction. We experienced two cases of recurrent breast carcinoma with malignant pleural effusion. We successfully managed their pleural effusion with the intrapleural administration of OK-432. Thereafter, we safely administered docetaxel, and obtained good outcomes. The present paper also discussed the synergistic action between these agents.     

Palliative and therapeutic activity of IL-2 immunotherapy in unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma with pleural effusion: Results of a phase II study on 31 consecutive patients

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is often unresectable at diagnosis, is refractory to cytotoxic agents and is frequently complicated by pleural effusion. The expected survival range for patients with or without involvement of visceral pleura is respectively 1-9 and 9-12 months; mesothelioma-related pleural effusion severely impairs the patients' quality of life and easily relapses after conservative treatments. Intrapleural administration of IL-2 is reported to be effective both in tumor-associated malignant pleurisy and on primary mesothelioma, whereas few data exist about IL-2 systemic administration. In order to assess the palliative and therapeutic activity of IL-2 in unresectable pleural malignant mesothelioma with pleural effusion, we performed a phase II study on 31 consecutive patients (M/F 16/15; median age 61 years, range 40-84; PS ECOG 0 n=7; ECOG 1 n=15; ECOG 2 n=9; stage IA n=13; IB n=9; II n=7; IV=2) who received first-line therapy with intrapleural repeated instillation of 9000000 I.U. IL-2 twice/weekly for 4 weeks, after needle thoracenthesis. In nonprogressing patients, 3000000 I.U. IL-2 were subcutaneously administered thrice weekly for up to 6 months. Toxicity (WHO criteria) with intrapleural IL-2 consisted of grade 3 fever in 6/31 (19%) patients and of cardiac toxicity (failure) grade 3 in one patient (3%); toxicity during subcutaneous treatment was mild to moderate, mainly a flu-like syndrome. In 28/31 (90%) of patients there was no further or minimal (asymptomatic) pleural fluid collection (according to Paladine criteria); pleurisy relapsed only in 1/28 patients after 19 months. Tumor objective response (WHO criteria), evaluated by CT, occurred in seven patients (one CR and six PR; ORR 22%); ten patients achieved SD and 14 patients progressed. Median overall survival was 15 months (range 5-39) in all patients. IL-2 intrapleural administration followed by low-dose IL-2 subcutaneously in pleurisy-complicated malignant mesothelioma is feasible and active both in palliation of pleural effusion and on primary tumor, with manageable toxicity. The overall survival observed in nonprogressing patients warrants further randomized studies with IL-2 aimed to the patient outcome.     

The prognostic advantage of preoperative intratumoral injection of OK-432 for gastric cancer patients

To investigate, by a multi-institutional randomized trial, the prognostic significance of the augmentation of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) by preoperative intratumoral injection of OK-432 (OK-432 it), a bacterial biological response modifier, in patients with gastric cancer. The 10-year survival and disease-free survival were examined and analysis of the factors showing survival benefit was performed. 370 patients who had undergone curative resection of gastric cancer were enrolled in this study and followed up for 10 years postoperatively. Patients were randomized into either an OK-432 it group or a control group. Ten Klinishe Einheit (KE) of OK-432 was endoscopically injected at 1 to 2 weeks before the operation in the OK-432 it group. Both groups received the same adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy consisting of a bolus injection of mitomycin C (0.4 mg kg(-1) i.v.) and administration of tegafur and OK-432 from postoperative day 14 up to 1 year later. Tegafur (600 mg day(-1)) was given orally and OK-432 (5 KE/2 weeks) was injected intradermally for a maintenance therapy. The TILs grades in resected tumour specimens and presence of metastasis and metastatic pattern in dissected lymph nodes were examined. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the efficacy of OK-432 it on prognostic factors. All patients were followed up for 10 years. The overall 5- and 10-year survival rates and disease-free survival rates of the OK-432 it group were not significantly higher than those of the control group. However, OK-432 it significantly increased the 5- and 10-year survival rates of patients with stage IIIA + IIIB, moderate lymph node metastasis (pN2), and positive TILs. OK-432 it was most effective at prolonging the survival of patients who had both positive TILs and lymph node metastasis. The OK-432 it group with positive TILs showed a significant decrease in metastatic lymph node frequency and in the number of lymph node micro- metastatic foci when compared to the control group. This study showed that only one time preoperative OK-432 it, particularly when it triggers TILs, is effective for reduction of regional lymph node metastasis. OK-432 it probably acts partly by eliminating micro-metastatic foci in lymph nodes. Preoperative intratumoral injection of OK-432 is technically very easy and has no serious adverse effects, so it is a promising form of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for advanced gastric cancer.     

Phase II study of OK-432 intrapleural administration followed by systemic cisplatin and gemcitabine for non-small cell lung cancer with pleuritis carcinomatosa

We conducted a phase II study of OK-432 intrapleural administration followed by systemic chemotherapy using cisplatin with gemcitabine to determine their combined effects on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with pleuritis carcinomatosa. Between December 1999 and October 2001, 15 patients were registered in the study. Fourteen patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS) of 1, and one patient had a PS of 2. Ten patients had adenocarcinoma, one had squamous cell carcinoma, and four had malignant mesothelioma. Patients underwent thoracocentesis and received an OK-432 intrapleural injection. They were then treated every three weeks with chemotherapy consisting of 80 mg/m2 cisplatin on day 1 and 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabine on days 1 and 8. Thirteen patients received two or more courses of chemotherapy. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia occurred in five, two and three patients, respectively. Non-hematological toxicities were mild, except for one patient who experienced a grade 3 elevation of transaminase and two patients who experienced grade 3 nausea. Of the 15 patients, one achieved partial response (PR), 13 a stable disease (SD) rating, and one a progressive disease (PD) rating, and the overall response rate was 6.7%. The median survival time was 13.5 months and the one-year survival rate was 60.0%. In conclusion, OK-432 intrapleural administration followed by cisplatin and gemcitabine systemic chemotherapy did not reduce patients' tumors but did prolong their survival time. A large-scale phase II study of the efficacy of this combination therapy is required.     

Locoregional immunotherapy of malignant effusions for colorectal cancer using OK-432 and its acting mechanisms--possibility of molecular diagnosis using TCRCDR 3 sequence

Locoregional administration using OK-432 was evaluated in treating malignant effusion. Positive clinical responses were seen in 19 (52%) of 36 gastric cancer patients, and in 9 (90%) of 10 colon cancer patients (p < 0.05), indicating its clinical benefit in treating malignant effusion of colon cancer. Fever elevation was observed in 43 (93%) patients and local pain occurred with 9 (20%) of 46 administrations. Immunological analysis for responder patients with rectal cancer revealed that OK-432 induced autologous tumor-reactive CD 3+ CD 4+ TCRV beta 20+ killer lymphocytes. The TCR gene analysis permitted us to clone a V beta 20 CDR 3 sequence, by which positive bands were shown in 3 (75%) of 4 responders and negative bands in 3 (100%) of 3 non-responders. It is suggested that cross-antigenicity exists between OK-432 and colon cancer, and that genetic analysis using the TCRCDR 3 sequence makes it possible to predict responder patients to OK-432 immunotherapy.     

Locoregional immunotherapy of malignant effusion from colorectal cancer using the streptococcal preparation OK-432 plus interleukin-2: induction of autologous tumor-reactive CD4+ Th1 killer lymphocytes

In total, 16 patients with cytologically proven malignant effusion from colorectal cancer were treated by locoregional administration of the streptococcal preparation OK-432 alone or OK-432 plus the T-cell growth factor interleukin (IL)-2, and the action mechanism of the treatment was studied. A positive clinical response, showing a cytologic disappearance of cancer cells and decrease of effusion, was observed in nine of 11 (82%) patients treated with OK-432 alone and in all five patients treated with OK-432 plus IL-2. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that OK-432 plus IL-2 locally induced acute inflammation-like responses, including serial cellular infiltrations of granulocyte migration within a matter of hours, and activation of macrophages and T lymphocyte involvement within the following days, and that a predominant expansion of CD3+CD4+ lymphocytes (CD: cluster of differentiation) was induced by in vitro stimulation with IL-2 of locoregional cells after the OK-432 administration (OK/IL-2AK cells). The OK/IL-2AK cells produced tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma, but these cells did not produce IL-4 and IL-6. The OK/IL-2AK cells expressed potent killing activity against autologous tumour cells. This activity was abrogated by treatment of the lymphocytes with anti-CD3, -CD4, -TCRalphabeta antibody, and by the treatment of target cells with anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR antibody. The OK/IL-2AK cells expressed Fas-L gene, and flow cytometric analysis demonstrated HLA-DR expression in approximately 75% of CEA+ or cytokeratin+ effusion cells. TCRVbeta gene analysis of the OK/IL-2AK cells showed an oligoclonal usage of TCRbeta20, which was also involved in the cytotoxic mechanism of the OK/IL-2AK cells. Single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis demonstrated the clonotypes for the TCRVbeta20 gene, and the CDR3s of the gene were sequenced. The clonotypic PCR using the TCRVbeta20-CDR3 sequences could detect the CDR3-identical TCRs in effusion lymphocytes from the other patients. Taken together, it is suggested that locoregional administration of OK-432 plus IL-2 is highly effective for the management of malignant effusion from colorectal cancer. OK-432 plus IL-2 induces autologous tumour-reactive CD4+ Th1 killer lymphocytes, which recognise tumour antigen(s) presented with HLA class II molecules on effusion tumour cells by means of preferential usage of TCRVbeta20. The clonotypic PCR using the TCRVbeta20-CDR3 sequences may be informative for treating malignant effusion from colorectal cancer using OK-432 plus IL-2.     

Effect of immunotherapy and spleen preservation on immunological function in patients with gastric cancer

Splenectomy is often performed in patients who undergo total gastrectomy for cancer of the upper stomach. Although splenectomy facilitates lymph node dissection of the splenic hilum and recent reports advocate spleen preservation, the role of the spleen is not fully elucidated in gastric cancer treatment. This prospective randomized study was performed to evaluate the role of the spleen in immunological function in gastric cancer patients who underwent total gastrectomy and received postoperative immunochemotherapy. Forty-five patients with gastric cancer were randomly allocated to four groups: 1. splenectomy without immunotherapy (OK-432 administration), 2. splenectomy with immunotherapy, 3. spleen preservation without immunotherapy, 4. spleen preservation with immunotherapy. Postoperative immunological function of these patients was compared among the four groups. NK cell activity of the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in spleen-preserved patients who received immunotherapy was significantly higher for 24 weeks after surgery than that of the splenectomized patients with and without OK-432 administration. IL-2 production of PBL in spleen-preserved patients with immunotherapy was significantly higher between 4 and 24 weeks after surgery compared with that of the splenectomized patients without immunotherapy. The results suggest that spleen preservation might be beneficial in patients with less advanced gastric cancer who receive postoperative immunochemotherapy after total gastrectomy.