Lymphocytes infiltrating ovarian carcinoma: modulation of functional activity by intraperitoneal treatment with biological response modifiers.

A better understanding of the immunobiology of tumor-associated lymphocytes (TAL) may have considerable bearing on the therapeutic perspective of human neoplasia. We have identified ovarian cancer as a clinical condition privileged for studies on immunity and its in vitro and in vivo modulation. Our previous studies on the mechanisms of natural resistance have shown that TAL from ovarian carcinoma have defective natural killer cell activity when compared to peripheral blood lymphocytes from the same patient. This low natural killer cell activity could be stimulated in vitro by biological response modifiers (e.g. interferons) and these findings led us and others to design clinical trials based on intraperitoneal infusions of these agents. Interleukin-2 was extremely effective at inducing or augmenting cytotoxicity in TAL (lymphokine-activated killer cell activity). TAL-generated lymphokine-activated killer cells were cytotoxic against autologous and allogeneic fresh carcinoma cells. This finding provides a rationale for direct intraperitoneal infusion of this cytokine in ovarian cancer.