AAIT Treatment For Colon Cancer Patients

• Research study of 102 colorectal cancer patients undergoing resections; 18 of these individuals suffered recurrences within two years of surgery.
• Use of the finest and safest medical treatments from around the world to help our patients — The critical question remains, "What's the best therapeutic approach for a particular person and particular disease?"
• This assembled group of 18 patients had "proportionally lower preoperative NK cytotoxicity than disease-free patients".
• Low preoperative NK cytotoxicity was overwhelmingly predictive of recurrence in this cohort of patients.[1]

Understanding NK Cells and Their Role in Immunity

• Study involved 49 patients with colon cancer and 146 healthy controls.
• NK levels in colon cancer patients were substantially lower than levels of controls.[2]

The Need For Activated NK Cells in Advanced Colon Cancer

• Study included 23 previously untreated patients with colorectal cancer.[3]
• Patients experienced depressed NK and LAK activity, especially late-stage patients, as compared with controls[3]
• IFN-gamma is also impaired in these patients.

Remission and Outcomes with NK Cells

• Study included 140 patients with colon cancer.
• "In curatively operated stage I-III diseases, preoperative NK cell activity of 20% or less correlated with poor survival."[4]
• "Lower activity was also associated with distant metastases."[4]
• "Attenuated NK cell activity was a key parameter for predicting distant metastasis following curative surgery."[4]
• 73 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were infused with a monoclonal antibody over this 13-year study.[5]
• Pretreatment levels of NK cytotoxicity were significantly related to overall survival, progression-free survival, and response rate in this grouping of patients.[5]

Overview

• NKs and NKTs are depressed in colon cancer patients.
• NK cells can be expanded from patients with colon cancer and reintroduced to obliterate cancer cells and metastatic spread.
• These particular cells can destroy tumor cells independently of any other therapy wherein other therapies were unsatisfactory.
• NKs activated and decent numbers are responsible for continued colon cancer remissions.
• Infused NK cells have resulted in clinical regressions in colon cancer patients.

References

1) Tartter PI, Steinberg B, Barron DM, Martinelli G. The prognostic significance of natural killer cytotoxicity in patients with colorectal cancer. Arch Surg. 1987 Nov;122(11):1264-8.

2) Balch CM, Tilden AB, Dougherty PA, Cloud GA. Depressed levels of granular lymphocytes with natural killer (NK) cell function in 247 cancer patients. Ann Surg. 1983 Aug;198(2):192-9.

3) Matsunaga H, Kuwahara Y, Kusugami K, Morise K, Shimokata K. Natural killer, lymphokine-activated killer and interferon-gamma producing activities of peripheral blood- and regional lymph node-mononuclear cells in 23 cases of colorectal cancer. Gastroenterol Jpn. 1988 Oct;23(5):527-33.

4) Kondo E, Koda K, Takiguchi N, Oda K, Seike K, Ishizuka M, Miyazaki M. Preoperative natural killer cell activity as a prognostic factor for distant metastasis following surgery for colon cancer. Dig Surg. 2003;20(5):445-51. Epub 2003 Jul 31.

5) Liljefors M, Nilsson B, Hjelm Skog AL, Ragnhammar P, Mellstedt H, Frodin JE. Natural killer (NK) cell function is a strong prognostic factor in colorectal carcinoma patients treated with the monoclonal antibody 17-1A. Int J Cancer. 2003 Jul 10;105(5):717-23.