A trial of autologous ex vivo expanded NK cell-enriched lymphocytes with docetaxel in patients with advanced NSCLC as second- or third-line treatment: Phase IIa study.

3045 Background: Cancer immunotherapy has been attractive for a long time with diverse clinical attempts and results. In particular, NK cells have received considerable attention because of their potential role in immune surveillance in vivo. MICA/B on tumor cells, known as the representative ligand for NKG2D receptor on NK cell, has been reported to be modulated by a variety of stresses including some chemotherapeutic agents and it is anticipated that enhancing MICA/B expression is contributory to anti-cancer treatment. With recent development of expanding autologous ex-vivo NK cell enriched lymphocytes (NKL), we designed a trial to augment the anti-cancer effect by co-administering NKL and docetaxel (D), one of the second-line agents in patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods: We first identified some chemotherapeutic agents, such as cisplatin and D, that induce peak MICA/B expression on HeLa cell during the 24-36 hours and designed a trial of combination of NKL with D administered within the same day. El...