Researchers have uncovered a biomarker that may determine response to cytokine-induced killer-cell therapy and survival in patients with colorectal cancer, according to a recent study published by Li et al in The Journal of Immunology.
Background
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States and the most prevalent cancer type globally. In the United States, deaths from colorectal cancer in patients younger than age 55 have been increasing since the mid-2000s, highlighting the critical need for more effective treatment options.
“For advanced colorectal cancer, the prognosis has been rather pessimistic, and patients at stages II [to] III face a relatively high risk of recurrence and metastasis following surgery, with limited treatment options,” stressed senior study author Yi Zhang, MD, PhD, Director of the Biotherapy Center at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University.
Cytokine-induced killer-cell therapy uses a patient’s immune cells to target and destroy cancer cells. Despite the positive outcomes of the cell therapy, some patients achieve no response to the treatment.
Study Methods and Results
In the retrospective study, the researchers examined the outcomes of patients with colorectal cancer who received cytokine-induced killer-cell therapy in addition to chemotherapy or surgery as well as controls who received chemotherapy and/or surgery. The patients were enrolled in the study from 2008 to 2014 and were monitored through January 2020 for both progression-free and overall survival. The researchers then analyzed blood samples of patients with colorectal cancer to identify biomarkers predictive of a positive response to cytokine-induced killer-cell therapy.
Patients who received the cell therapy in addition to chemotherapy or surgery had better outcomes—regardless of whether they had an early or advanced stage of disease. The researchers found that carcinoembryonic antigen levels, which may suggest poor prognosis and disease recurrence, may help clinicians to determine whether a patient may benefit from cytokine-induced killer-cell therapy.
Conclusions
The results of the study could pave the way for a simple blood test administered prior to treatment to improve patient survival.
“[Cytokine-induced killer-cell] therapy could enhance the survival of patients with [colorectal cancer] compared to traditional therapies,” highlighted Dr. Zhang. “The long-term effects of [cytokine-induced killer-cell] therapy for patients [with colorectal cancer] had not been understood until now. The promising results of our study will hopefully facilitate the widespread adoption of cell therapies for treating malignant tumors, including [colorectal cancer],” he underscored.
The researchers plan to continue investigating the effects of combining cytokine-induced killer-cell therapy with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy for colorectal cancer. They hope to conduct prospective clinical studies to establish cytokine-induced killer-cell therapy as a treatment in this patient population.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit academic.oup.com.
