PE-107 : Autologous Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells for Longer Recurrence Free Survival for Hepatocellular Carcinoma as an Adjuvant Therapy: A Case Series

Aims: Autologous cytokine-induced killer cells were used to reduce recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma as an adjuvant therapy. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Autologous cytokine-induced killer Cells after curative therapy in primary hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) in CNUH cases retrospectively. Methods: The study included HCC patients who visited CNUH after surgery, Radiofrequency ablation(RFA), or Transarterial chemoembolization(TACE) from Jan. 2016 to Mar. 2018. The autologous CIK(created by incubation of patient’s peripheral blood mononuclear cells with interleukin 2 and an antibody against CD3) were treated as an adjuvant drug within 2.3 months after curative therapy. Clinical characteristics at baseline and after CIK treatment, and adverse events and recurrence free survival period were collected. Results: Eight of HCC patients were treated with CIK immunotherapy. Patient’s median age was 50 (range 45-67) and 6 of 8 patients were HCC stage II according to the AJCC staging system (7th ed). Before taking immunotherapy, 6 patients received surgery, one patient received RFA and the other received TACE. All patients received average 10 months of CIK as an adjuvant therapy. The median time of recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 10.0 months. 5 patients experienced tumor recurrence or death by the time of the data cut-off date. 4 patients who experienced tumor recurrence underwent additional RFA or TACE and three of these 4 patients were constantly receiving one to eight CIK treatments after additional therapy. There was one death in the study period, which was due to recurrence of liver cancer. Adverse events were reported for 2 and were mild to moderate grade of diarrhea and vomiting. No patient discontinued treatment due to an adverse event. Conclusions: In this CNUH case series using the autologous CIK cells for HCC patients as an adjuvant therapy, the median time of recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 10.0 months. It also offers a new option that can be used as an ongoing therapy even after the first recurrence.