Young donor white blood cell immunotherapy induces extensive tumor necrosis in advanced-stage solid tumors.

Background: In the past decade, a variety of immunotherapy approaches focused predominantly on the adaptive immune system have shown unprecedented responses in patients with advanced-stage malignancies. However, studies in spontaneous regression/complete resistance (SR/CR) mice and humans have shown a novel innate cancer-killing activity mediated by granulocytes, which is completely transferable for prevention or therapy against established malignancies.

Methods: Three patients with advanced, relapsed or refractory solid tumors for which no standard therapy was available or was refused were enrolled into this ongoing combined phase I/II open label clinical trial testing the safety, dose tolerance, and possible antineoplastic efficacy of sequential infusions of HLA-mismatched non-irradiated allogeneic white cells (68-91% granulocytes) collected by leukapheresis from young, healthy donors (age 18-35) following mobilization with granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and dexamethasone.