Effect of radiotherapy combined DC-CIK treatment on immune function and survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer of stage III/IV

Objective To investigate the effect of radiotherapy combined DC-CIK treatment on immune function and survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer of stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ. Methods Seventy-six patients with non-small cell lung cancer of stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ from December 2010 to December 2013 were randomly divided into control group and observation group. Patients in the control group were treated by radiotherapy only, and patients in the observation group were treated by DC-CIK cells combined with radiotherapy. CD4+ , CD8+ , CD16+ CD56+ , CD4+ CD25+ cell percentage and CD8+ /CD4+ ratios were evaluated by FCM before and after treatment. Th1/Th2 cytokine levels were analyzed using ELISA method before and after treatment. The cumulative survival rate was estimated in the two groups. Results The level of lymphocytes in the observation group after treatment was significantly improved than that before treatment and in the control group(P<0.05). IL-2 and IFN-γ levels in the observation group increased significantly compared with before treatment and the control group(P<0.05). IL-4 and IL-10 levels in the observation group decreased significantly compared with before treatment and in the control group(P<0.05). 1, 2 and 3 years cumulative recurrence rate were 81.6%(31 cases), 68.4%(26 cases) and 57.9%(22 cases) in the control group, while 92.1%(35 cases), 81.6%(31 cases) and 71.1%(27 cases) in the observation group. There was significantly difference in cumulative recurrence rates between the two groups(P<0.05). Conclusions Radiotherapy combined with DC-CIK treatment can effectively regulate lymphocyte ratio of patients with non-small cell lung cancer of stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ as well as Th1/Th2 balance, significantly improving immune function and survival rate. Key words: Cytokine induced killer cells-dendritic cell treatment; Radiotherapy; Non-small cell lung cancer; Stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ