The Effect of Edrecolomab (Mo17-1A) or Fluorouracil-Based Chemotherapy on Specific Immune Parameters in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

• Published in: Oncology Vol. 67; no. 5-6; pp. 403 - 410
• Main Authors: Tsavaris, Nick B., Katsoulas, Haralabos L., Kosmas, Christos, Papalambros, Efstathios, Gouveris, Panayiotis, Papantoniou, Nikitas, Rokana, Sophia, Kosmas, Nicolaos, Skopeliti, Margarita, Tsitsilonis, Ourania E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland 01.01.2004
• Subjects: Laboratory/Clinical Translational Research; Immune responses; Cytokines; Immunotherapy; Monoclonal antibody 17-1A; Colorectal cancer
• ISSN: 0030-2414; 1423-0232
• DOI: 10.1159/000082925

Objectives: We investigated the immune profile of patients with resected Dukes’ stage C colorectal cancer (CRC), receiving adjuvant therapy with edrecolomab (Mo17-1A) or first-line 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy. Patients and Methods: Patients received either 5 doses of Mo17-1A over 13 weeks, or 5-FU/leucovorin, or 5-FU/levamisole over 6 and 12 months, respectively. Peripheral blood was collected postoperatively and 4 months after therapy initiation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were tested in the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR), for natural killer (NK) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell activity. Serum cytokines were quantified by ELISA. Results: Fifty-two patients entered the study. Postoperatively, they exhibited decreased levels of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon-γ, IL-12, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and IL-15, low cellular immune responses (AMLR, NK- and LAK-cytotoxicity) and increased levels of IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-6, IL-10 and prostaglandin E 2 . After four months of therapy, patients receiving edrecolomab demonstrated enhanced AMLR, NK, LAK activity, increased serum levels of cytokines regulating such responses and reduced levels of acute-phase cytokines and immune suppressors, compared to patients treated with conventional chemotherapy. Conclusions: Postoperative adjuvant therapy with edrecolomab restores the in vivo deficient immune responses of patients with resected Dukes’ C CRC despite its clinical ineffectiveness in recent randomized adjuvant trials. These results suggest that further immunological studies with the combination of edrecolomab and chemotherapy are required.