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Low-dose Interleukin-2 Administered Pre-operatively to Patients with Gastric Cancer Activates Peripheral and Peritumoral Lymphocytes But Does Not Affect Prognosis

  • Gastrointestinal Oncology
  • Published:
Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

There is evidence that cancer is immunogenic under certain situations. IL-2 is described to stimulate an effective antitumor immune response in vitro and in vivo. The ability of cancer patients to undergo surgical resection is still the most important prognostic factor for many solid tumors, including gastric adenocarcinoma. The host immune system may be further compromised by surgical procedures leading to a generalized state of immunodepression in the post-operative period. The aim of this randomized case–control study is to evaluate the effects of pre-operative low-dose IL-2 treatment on patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who undergo surgery.

Methods

Sixty-eight patients with gastric adenocarcinoma were enrolled in the study and randomized in two groups: 36 patients were pre-treated with IL-2 and 32 underwent surgery without any treatment. Total peripheral WBC, neutrophils, CD3+ T, CD4+ T, CD8+ T and NK cells were obtained before and after surgery, at different times. Peritumoral infiltration was analyzed on all surgical specimens. Overall survival and relapse-free survival were studied with a median follow-up of 51 months.

Results

Low-dose IL-2 treatment resulted in an increase peritumoral lymphocytic and eosinophilic infiltrations and in a minor decrease in CD3+ T and CD4+ T cells after surgery (P < 0.05). A stepwise multivariate analysis revealed that overall survival and relapse-free survival were affected only by stage of tumor and age of patients.

Conclusions

According to our data low-doses of IL-2 administered pre-operatively to patients with gastric cancer activate peripheral and peri-tumoral lymphocytes but did not affect prognosis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Dr Howard Kaufman, Edwin C. and Anne K. Weiskopf Associate Professor of Clinical Surgical Oncology at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons (New York, NY, USA), for his scientific support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, S. Gerardo Hospital, via Donizzetti 106, Monza, 20052, Milan, Italy

    Giovanni Carlo Cesana, Fabrizio Romano, Gaia Piacentini, Marco Scotti, Roberto Caprotti & Franco Uggeri

  2. Department of Pathology, University of Milano-Bicocca, S. Gerardo Hospital, via Donizzetti 106, Monza, 20052, Milan, Italy

    Ambrogio Brenna & Giorgio Bovo

  3. Department of Clinical Oncology, University of Milano-Bicocca, S. Gerardo Hospital, via Donizzetti 106, Monza, 20052, Milan, Italy

    Massimo Vaghi

  4. Department of Mathematics, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Giacomo Aletti

  5. Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Howard Kaufman

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  1. Giovanni Carlo Cesana
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  2. Fabrizio Romano
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Correspondence to Giovanni Carlo Cesana.

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Cesana, G.C., Romano, F., Piacentini, G. et al. Low-dose Interleukin-2 Administered Pre-operatively to Patients with Gastric Cancer Activates Peripheral and Peritumoral Lymphocytes But Does Not Affect Prognosis. Ann Surg Oncol 14, 1295–1304 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-006-9239-x

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