DC vaccine therapy combined concurrently with oral capecitabine in metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer cannot receive adequate therapy due to their general bad condition, which is at least one of the reasons resulting in poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety in the use of DC vaccine combined with oral Capecitabine therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer; these two methods are commonly used in colorectal cancer separately as monotherapy.

METHODOLOGY

All 17 patients received Capecitabine orally twice daily at 1,250 mg/m2. One cycle included two weeks of treatment followed by one week's rest. Concurrently, all patients received 1x107 tumor lysate-pulsed DC vaccinations both intradermally and intravenously every week for 3 times.

RESULTS

There was an improvement in appetite in 14/17 cases and an increase of physical strength 15/17 cases. The serum CEA level was reduced and the phenotypes of peripheral blood T lymphocytes CD3+, CD8+ and CD56+ increased significantly in all patients; 4 out of the 17 patients were DTH positive and 14 patients were alive at the end of 6 months follow-up. No server toxicity was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Lymphopenia induced by Capecitabine then followed by DC vaccine is an effective way to generate anti-tumor immune response to CRC.