Autolymphocyte therapy: previous experience and future prospects.

Autolymphocyte therapy is outpatient medical treatment for selected patients, in which a relatively small amount of white blood cells is removed temporarily from the patients, modified in the laboratory through sophisticated biotechnology, and returned to the patient for the purpose of enhancing the immune system and contributing to improved health. We suggest that autolymphocyte therapy might be a useful approach in the prevention or treatment of several diseases. Previous work with autolymphocyte therapy in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma has demonstrated that this approach is minimally toxic and biologically active. Further clinical trials are justified and currently taking place.