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Biomedical subjects

M Gaspard

Publications and source records attributed to M Gaspard.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Interleukin-2 and lymphokine-activated killer cells in 15 children with advanced metastatic neuroblastoma.

A phase II trial using interleukin-2 (IL2) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells was carried out in an attempt to treat children with end-stage neuroblastoma. Fifteen patients (median age, 7 years) were enrolled in the study. Twelve were in relapse after massive chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT), and three had a primary refractory disease after conventional chemotherapy. IL2 was administered as an 18 x 10(6) IU/m2/d continuous infusion. One course consisted of a double 5-day treatment period separated by a 6-day break. Cytapheresis to harvest LAK progenitor cells was performed during the rest period. After a 4-day in vitro culture, LAK cells were reinjected during the second cycle of therapy. A phenotypic and functional analysis of immunologic parameters was conducted along with the therapeutic protocol. Toxicity was significant with two toxic deaths (cardiotoxicity and respiratory distress). The reinfusion of large amounts of LAK cells was clearly involved in one case, but this particularly severe toxicity has to be related to the patient's status (ie, heavy pretreatment). No significant clinical response was seen. The immunologic monitoring showed phenotypic and functional modifications in these patients before initiation of treatment and an unexpected absence of evolution of these parameters during IL2 therapy. Although the origin of these immune dysfunctions is not clear, they could be involved in the failure of IL2 therapy. Future studies of IL2 therapy in neuroblastoma should be undertaken earlier in the course of the disease.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1990

Lymphokine-activated killer cell expansion for clinical trials of adoptive immunotherapy with interleukin-2: optimization of the culture technique.

On leukopheresis products obtained from patients included in a protocol interleukin-2/lymphokine-activated killer (IL-2/LAK) cell therapy, we analyzed, in parallel with the standard culture and on large volumes of these products, different parameters which could either improve LAK cell enhancement or simplify the procedure. We demonstrated first that purification of the mononuclear cells from the leukopheresis product before its culture is not required. An excess of red blood cells and granulocytes (up to 50%) in nonpurified samples improved both the mononuclear cell recovery in short-term culture (4 days) and the activation of LAK cells when the total nuclear cell concentration did not exceed 3 X 10(6)/ml. Different factors can contribute to this enhancing effect: the presence of red blood cells, the liberation of cytokines by granulocytes, or the loss of a population of activated lymphocytes, with liberation of cytokines by granulocytes, or the loss of a population of activated lymphocytes, with larger size and density than resting lymphocytes, during the separation. Supplementation of the medium with 2% heat-inactivated autologous plasma obtained before any treatment rather than with 2% pooled human AB serum does not modify the mononuclear cell recovery in 4-day culture, but it does enhance LAK activity. The inhibitory effect of heat-inactivated autologous plasma on proliferation and activation of LAK cells was never observed, suggesting the absence of suppressive factors in the plasma of the 23 analyzed patients. Similarly, autologous plasma did not modify natural killer and LAK cell functions when added during the cytotoxic assay.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Interleukin-2 with and without LAK cells in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: the Lyon first-year experience in 20 patients.

Thirty-one patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma were seen at the Centre Léon Bérard from October 1987 to October 1988. According to our protocol, 11 were excluded leaving 20 in the study. The median age was 55 years (range 36 to 79 years). The median number of metastases was 9 (range 2 to 29) and the median number of metastatic sites was 3 (range 1 to 4). Seventeen patients received a continuous infusion of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) of 3 x 10(6) U/m2/day, on days 1 to 5, with lymphapheresis on days 7 to 10 and IL-2 + LAK on days 11 to 15. Three patients received IL-2 alone. The clinical toxicity of IL-2 was as expected (100% fever, 88% erythema, 88% vomiting, 87% weight gain, 76% oliguria, 76% diarrhoea, 70% pruritus, 70% weakness, 41% severe hypotension, 41% acute renal failure, 33% disorientation, 23% respiratory distress, 12% ventilation and 5% coma) with no toxic deaths. Other toxicity was mild (median platelet nadir was 93,000 and median nadir of Hb 8.1 g/dl) except for the creatinine level which was found to be between 200 and 400 mumol/l in 45% of the courses and over 400 mumol/l in 24% of the courses. Eight capillary leak syndromes were observed. Among the three patients receiving IL-2 alone, one PD, one SD and one early toxicity were recorded. Among 15 evaluable patients receiving IL-2 + LAK, three had PR (20%) and two mixed response (PR and progression before 2 months); two had stable disease and eight had progression. No clinical or biological factor was able to predict response. However, the five objective responses were observed among the eight patients with a capillary leak syndrome. Lymphocyte peaks or platelet nadir were not related to response in this group of patients. The median number of harvested mononuclear cells was 9.8 x 10(10) and the median number of mononucleated cells reinjected was 5.9 x 10(10).

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗
PubMed1989

A phase-II study of adoptive immunotherapy with continuous infusion of interleukin-2 in children with advanced neuroblastoma. A report on 11 cases.

Nine children with poor prognosis neuroblastoma have been treated by continuous infusion of IL-2 and autologous LAK cells, as described previously by West et al. in adult patients. Six patients were in relapse after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous BMT and three presented with primary refractory disease after conventional therapy. Although patients were very young (median age 6 years; average weight 17 kg), infusion of IL-2, cytapheresis and reinjection of LAK cells appeared feasible with the usual and transient complications observed with IL-2. Haematological toxicity, although reversible, was more important than usually described and due to the presence of bone-marrow metastases in 8 of the 9 patients. Life-threatening toxicity was observed in only one of the admission centres and was probably due to the rapid reinjection of a very large number of activated cells. Two patients presenting with very active disease after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous or allogeneic BMT received IL-2 alone, at 120 days and at 90 days after the graft. The reactivation of grade-II GVHD was the major complication in the patient treated after an allograft, whereas no BMT-related toxicity was observed in the patient treated after the autologous BMT. Immunological modifications induced by IL-2 were very different between these patients. As expected, a preferential outgrowth of NK cells with both NK and LAK activity was observed in the patient treated just after the autograft. In contrast, in the patient treated after an allograft and in the 9 patients in relapse, T lymphocytes remained the major mononuclear cell population with a very large excess of CD8+ T cells. All patients progressed after the first induction cycle with the exception of the only patient treated after autologous BMT who reached a very good partial remission with disappearance of the local tumor and bone metastases. Although very preliminary, these data clearly show that the efficacy of IL-2 largely depends on the patient's immunological status with the optimal effect being observed when IL-2 is given in the first few months following an autograft.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗
PubMed1989

Analysis of parameters for maximal in vitro proliferation and activation of lymphokine-activated killer cells (LAK).

In 15 patients (11 adults, 4 children) who received IL-2 and LAK cell therapy, we analyzed the different culture conditions which could either improve LAK cell activation and proliferation or which could simplify the procedure. Each parameter was assayed on a large scale and compared to standard culture conditions. Indomethacin had no effects, either positive or negative, on proliferation and activation of the cells. Culturing with 10% AB serum increased proliferation but did not modify total lytic activity compared to 2% AB serum. When cells were cultured in a medium with 2% autologous plasma obtained before any treatment, their proliferation was similar to that obtained in medium supplemented with 2% AB serum but the LAK activity was significantly higher. Autologous plasma obtained at day 8 of treatment (48 h after the first cycle of IL-2 and the day of the first cytapheresis) gave similar results to 2% AB serum. None of the 12 patients showed negative effects suggesting the presence of suppressive factors in the sera. Culturing with autologous plasma in clinical trials will lead to a 25% decrease in the total cost of culture and suppress the risk of viral contamination. Excess of granulocytes in the culture (greater than 30%), if the total nuclear cell concentration did not exceed 3 . 10(6) per ml, induced a better proliferation of mononuclear cells without modification of the activation. These results could be due to the liberation of factors by polynuclear cells, or to the loss during elimination of the granulocytes by the Ficoll separation of cells with similar density supporting LAK activity.

Adult↗