1. The Effect of Edrecolomab (Mo17-1A) or Fluorouracil-Based Chemotherapy on Specific Immune Parameters in Patients with Colorectal Cancer
- Author
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Nick B. Tsavaris, Christos Kosmas, Panayiotis Gouveris, Nicolaos Kosmas, Ourania E. Tsitsilonis, Efstathios Papalambros, Sophia Rokana, Haralabos L. Katsoulas, Nikitas Papantoniou, and Margarita Skopeliti
- Subjects
Oncology ,Cancer Research ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Chemotherapy ,Colorectal cancer ,business.industry ,medicine.drug_class ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Edrecolomab ,food and beverages ,General Medicine ,Immunotherapy ,medicine.disease ,Antimetabolite ,Fluorouracil ,Internal medicine ,Immunology ,medicine ,Adjuvant therapy ,Stage (cooking) ,business ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Objectives: We investigated the immune profile of patients with resected Dukes’ stage C colorectal cancer (CRC), receiving adjuvant therapy with edrecolomab (Mo17-1A) or first-line 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy. Patients and Methods: Patients received either 5 doses of Mo17-1A over 13 weeks, or 5-FU/leucovorin, or 5-FU/levamisole over 6 and 12 months, respectively. Peripheral blood was collected postoperatively and 4 months after therapy initiation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were tested in the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR), for natural killer (NK) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell activity. Serum cytokines were quantified by ELISA. Results: Fifty-two patients entered the study. Postoperatively, they exhibited decreased levels of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon-γ, IL-12, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and IL-15, low cellular immune responses (AMLR, NK- and LAK-cytotoxicity) and increased levels of IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-6, IL-10 and prostaglandin E2. After four months of therapy, patients receiving edrecolomab demonstrated enhanced AMLR, NK, LAK activity, increased serum levels of cytokines regulating such responses and reduced levels of acute-phase cytokines and immune suppressors, compared to patients treated with conventional chemotherapy. Conclusions: Postoperative adjuvant therapy with edrecolomab restores the in vivo deficient immune responses of patients with resected Dukes’ C CRC despite its clinical ineffectiveness in recent randomized adjuvant trials. These results suggest that further immunological studies with the combination of edrecolomab and chemotherapy are required.
- Published
- 2004