Dendritic cells activate antitumor immunity for malignant intracranial germ cell tumor: A case report

Abstract

We report a 22-year-old male patient with a history of intracranial malignant germ cell tumor (GCT) who had undergone tumor resection twice, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. The tumor had rapidly recurred along the entire ventricular wall with extensive invasion into the brain parenchyma. The serum level of human β-chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) was 232.3 ng/ml on admission. Although tissue samples of the recurrent tumor could not be obtained, the previous histological diagnosis of germinoma and elevated serum β-hCG levels suggested recurrence of malignant GCT. The patient declined chemotherapy but accepted dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy. DC inoculation five times resulted in rapid tumor shrinkage and a significant decrease in the serum level of β-hCG. Here we discuss the effectiveness of immunotherapy using DCs for recurrent intracranial malignant GCTs.