Adoptive immunotherapy of human meningeal gliomatosis and carcinomatosis with LAK cells and recombinant interleukin-2.

Previous in vitro studies have demonstrated that peripheral blood lymphocytes activated with recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) generated cells that were lytic for fresh autologous tumor cells but not for normal lymphocytes or lymphoblasts. Adoptive transfer of autologous lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells induced in vitro with rIL-2 was used in two patients: one with meningeal gliomatosis and the other with meningeal carcinomatosis. The adoptive transfer of LAK cells was very effective in reducing the clinical symptoms and signs, and in eliminating the malignant cells from the cerebrospinal fluid. Thus, this therapy is an attractive approach for the treatment of malignant tumors that have poor immunogenicity and are insensitive to several anti-cancer agents, and for patients with severe immunosuppressive conditions induced by repeated radiation therapy or chemotherapy.