Cytokine-induced killer cells/dendritic cells-cytokine induced killer cells immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy for treatment of colorectal cancer in China: a meta-analysis of 29 trials involving 2,610 patients

// Lei Zhang 1 , Ying Mu 2 , Anqi Zhang 3 , Jiaping Xie 2 , Shuangfeng Chen 3 , Fang Xu 4 , Weihua Wang 3 , Yingxin Zhang 3 , Shaoda Ren 3 and Changhui Zhou 3 1 Institute of Hematopathy, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China 2 Department of Gastroenterology, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng Clinical School of Taishan Medical University, Liaocheng, Shandong Province, China 3 Department of Central Laboratory, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng Clinical School of Taishan Medical University, Liaocheng, Shandong Province, China 4 Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China Correspondence to: Changhui Zhou, email: zhouchanghui008@163.com Shaoda Ren, email: zslrsd@163.com Keywords: cytokine-induced killer cells, dendritic cells, colorectal cancer, immunotherapy, meta-analysis Received: November 23, 2016 Accepted: March 17, 2017 Published: March 29, 2017 ABSTRACT Purpose: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Cytokine-induced killer cells/dendritic cells-cytokine induced killer cells (CIK/DC-CIK) immunotherapy in treating advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Results: 29 trials including 2,610 CRC patients were evolved. Compared with chemotherapy alone, the combination of chemotherapy with CIK/DC-CIK immunotherapy significantly prolonged the overall survival rate (OS) and disease-free survival rate (DFS) (1–5 year OS, P < 0.01; 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year DFS, P < 0.01). The combined therapy also improved patients’ overall response, disease control rate and life quality ( P < 0.05). After immunotherapy, lymphocyte subsets percentages of CD3 + , CD3 − CD56 + , CD3 + CD56 + and CD16 + CD56 + ( P < 0.01) and cytokines levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ ( P < 0.05) were increased, while CD4 + , CD8 + and CD4 + CD25 + and IL-6 and TNF-α did not show significant change ( P > 0.05). Materials and Methods: Clinical trials reporting response or safety of CIK/DC-CIK immunotherapy treating advanced CRC patients and published before September 2016 were searched in Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, Wanfang and CNKI database. Research quality and heterogeneity were evaluated before analysis. Pooled analyses were performed using random or fixed-effect models. Conclusions: The combination of CIK/DC-CIK immunotherapy and chemotherapy prolong CRC patients’ survival time, enhanced patients’ immune function and alleviates the adverse effects caused by chemotherapy.