Intratumoral LAK cell and interleukin-2 therapy of human gliomas.

Adoptive immunotherapy using lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells and interleukin-2 (IL-2) offers the possibility of a new treatment for patients with malignant glial tumors. In a clinical trial, the effectiveness of a 5-day treatment cycle of direct intratumoral administration of both LAK cells and IL-2 via a reservoir/catheter system in patients with recurrent malignant gliomas was studied. Ten patients were entered into the study, nine of whom were treated with 15 cycles of LAK cells (0.9 to 21.0 x 10(9) cells) and IL-2 (49 to 450 x 10(3) U/kg). The 10th patient in the study was not treated because of the onset of severe neurological deficits prior to beginning immunotherapy. Of the nine patients treated, one had a partial tumor response to immunotherapy as documented by computerized tomography. Neurological side effects occurred in all patients undergoing treatment and were related to increases in cerebral edema that appeared to be mediated by the immunotherapy. This report demonstrates the present limitations of regional adoptive immunotherapy with LAK cells and IL-2 in the treatment of human glial tumors.