Radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma liver nodules can activate and enhance tumor-specific T-cell responses.

Radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFA) destroys tumoral tissue generating a local necrosis followed by marked inflammatory response with a dense T-cell infiltrate. In this study, we tested whether hepatocellular carcinoma thermal ablation can induce or enhance T-cell responses specific for hepatocellular carcinoma-associated antigens. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from 20 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were stimulated before and a month after RFA treatment with autologous hepatocellular carcinoma-derived protein lysates obtained before and immediately after RFA treatment.

Reconstitution dynamics of plasmacytoid and myeloid dendritic cell precursors after allogeneic myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are fundamental for immunity. We investigated reconstitution of plasmacytoid DC (PDC) and myeloid DC (My-DC) precursors in the first 2 months after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HSCT). Circulating DCs were monitored from the earliest phase of hematopoietic reconstitution in 43 children given standard therapy to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and either treated or untreated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) after HSCT.

Cytotoxic chemotherapy preceding apheresis of peripheral blood progenitor cells can affect the early reconstitution phase of naive T cells after autologous transplantation.

Transient T cell immunodeficiency is a common complication following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In breast cancer patients transplanted with autologous peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) harvested after cytotoxic treatment with either cyclophosphamide or epirubicin plus paclitaxel, we evaluated T cells infused in grafts and in peripheral blood during the early reconstitution phase. We found that PBPC grafts harvested after treatment with epirubicin plus paclitaxel contained substantially larger numbers of T cells with less altered composition than after cyclophosphamide.

Evaluation of infectious complications and immune recovery following high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation (PBPC-T) in 148 breast cancer patients.

Background And Objectives: High-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with autologous PBPC-T has been reported to be effective in hematological and in selected solid malignancies. In this setting, infectious complications represent a relevant cause of morbidity.

Patients And Methods: To ascertain the incidence, types and factors influencing the development of early and late infections, we retrospectively analyzed 148 consecutive breast cancer (BC) patients receiving HDC and PBPC-T, both for primary high-risk BC (pBC) and metastatic disease (mBC).

Minimal tumor contamination of hematopoietic harvests from breast cancer patients can be easily detected by liquid culture assay.

Background: Recurrence after PBSC transplantation in breast cancer (BC) patients may be related to the reinfusion of tumor cells contaminating the graft. We have developed a liquid culture (LC) method for the identification of viable epithelial tumor cells in PBSC collections.

Methods: Mononuclear fraction from PBSC harvests of BC patients undergoing high dose chemotherapy (HDC) (adjuvant setting n = 60, metastatic disease n = 30) were seeded in petri dishes containing round cover slips.