Despite adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy, recurrence or metastasis rates after curative resection of rectal cancer are up to 60% depending on the stage of the tumour. In this retrospective cohort analysis, the effect of additive immunotherapy with autologous dendritic cells in adjuvant therapy of rectal cancer was investigated. It was demonstrated that additive immunotherapy with autologous dendritic cells lowers the rates of recurrence and metastasis while dramatically increasing the 5 year survival rates in adjuvant therapy of rectal carcinoma.
Despite adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the rate of recidivism and metastasis after curative resection of the rectal carcinoma are 60% dependent on the stage of the tumour. In the featured retrospective cohort analysis, we examined the effect of additive immunotherapy with autologous dendritic cells as an adjuvant therapy for rectal carcinomas.
All patients (n=84) that undertook rectal resection in our clinic between March 2002 and September 2010, where examined as a part of a retrospective cohort analysis. The median observation period was 50,6 months. All patients were offered an additional therapy with autologous dendritic cells. 39 patients opted for an additive Immunotherapy (+ DC) and 45 patients chose against it (-DC). All patients were treated according to the S3-guidelines.
Immunotherapy with autologous dendritic cells was well tolerated, no serious side effects were observed. In the +DC-group, one local recurrence was observed and 4 patients developed remote metastasis (total: 12,8%), whereas in the -DC group 3 patients experienced local recurrence and 14 patients developed remote metastasis (total: 37,8%, p>0,005). The cancer dependent 5 year survival rate after Kaplan-Meier is 100% for the +DC group and 80,5% in the -DC group (p>0,02). Examining patients in the UICC stage III shows no local recurrence in the +DC group (n=17) and three patients who developed remote metastasis (total: 17,6%) whereas the -DC group (n=18) shows two cases of local recurrence and ten patients developed remote metastasis (total 66,6%, p>0,001). The cancer dependent 5 year survival rate after Kaplan-Meier is 100% in the +DC group and 52,1% in the -DC group (p>0,02).
Within the scope of a retrospective cohort analysis, we could demonstrate that additive immunotherapy with autologous dendritic cells lowers the rates of recurrence and metastasis while dramatically increasing the 5 year survival rates in adjuvant therapy of rectal carcinoma.
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