Abstract
PurposeTo evaluate the efficacy of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cell therapy in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.Materials and methodsRandomized phase II and III trials on CIK cell-based therapy were identified by electronic searches using a combination of "hepatocellular carcinoma" and "cytokine-induced killer cells".ResultsThe analysis showed significant survival benefit (one-year survival, p < 0.001; two-year survival, p < 0.001; median overall survival, p < 0.001) in favor of CIK-based therapy. Comparison of CIK group versus non-CIK group resulted in a significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) (p < 0.01). A favored disease control rate (DCR) and overall response rate (ORR) were also observed in patients receiving CIK cell therapy (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, patients in the CIK group showed better quality of life (QoL), diminished HBV-DNA content and AFP level (p < 0.01). Comparing T-lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood, the analysis showed the ratio of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+CD8+ and CD3+CD4+ T cells significantly increased in the CIK group, compared with the non-CIK group (p < 0.01).ConclusionsCIK cell therapy demonstrated a significant superiority in prolonging the median overall survival, PFS, DCR, ORR and QoL of HCC patients. These results support further larger scale randomized controlled trials for HCC patients with or without the combination of other therapeutic methods.
Highlights
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cancer globally, with a poor prognosis and limited systemic treatment options [1]
We excluded a total of 21 studies for the following reasons: 3 trials were excluded for being phase I clinical trials, 18 trials were excluded for being non-randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs)
13 articles reporting phase II and III clinical trials of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cellbased therapy were selected for meta-analysis
Summary
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cancer globally, with a poor prognosis and limited systemic treatment options [1]. In men, it is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third-leading cause of cancer-related death [2]. HCC is resistant to conventional chemotherapy and is insensitive to radiotherapy. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are considered as the main treatments for HCC today [3]. The recurrence rate is still high, and long-term survival is unsatisfactory, as approximately 80% of patients die within a year of diagnosis.
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