Treatment of Malignant Glioma by Immunotherapy Using Lymphocytes Sensitized with Tumor-specific Immune RNA

Abstract

Ten cases of malignant glioma (5 primary and 5 recurrent) were treated with passive immunization by lymphocytes sensitized with tumor-specific immune RNA. This immunotherapy was given either after surgery, surgery and radiotherapy or surgery and chemotherapy. Supernatant of 5,000 x G of tumor or sediment of 105,000 X G of tumor was used as tumor antigen. Normal lymphocytes were sensitized by incubation with RNA. These sensitized lymphocytes were injected intravenously in doses as much as 7~15x 108. At the present time, the longest survival period among the 5 primary case patients who received immunotherapy is 29 months and this patient is still alive. One patient died at 11 months after surgery. Two out of 5 recurrent cases were treated with surgery and immunotherapy, and they died at 7 and 8 months following surgery, respectively. Three out of 5 recurrent cases were treated with either surgery, radiation and immunotherapy, or surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. One patient died at 13 months and 2 are still alive 20 months and 36 months after operation, respectively. The following immunological responses were studied for each patient: leucocyte count, T-cell count, skin test of DNCB, PPD, PHA, blastogenic activity against PHA, machrophage imigration inhibitory test, and serum immuno-globulin. Increase in blastogenic activity against PHA was observed in some of long survival cases after immunotherapy. Those patients who were not provided immunotherapy, and were treated by surgery, surgery and radiation therapy, or surgery and chemotherapy, survived less than 27 months. © 1979, The Japan Neurosurgical Society. All rights reserved.