The clinical efficacy of transfusion of cytokine-induced killer cells combined with chemotherapy and XiaoJi decoction in patients with stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells immunotherapy in combination with platinum chemotherapy and Xiaoji decoction in patients with advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Patients with advanced stage NSCLC were randomly assigned to Group A (platinum chemotherapy plus xiaoji decoction) and Group B (platinum chemotherapy plus xiaoji decoction and CIK cell transfusion). Progression free survival (PFS), disease control rate (DCR), overall response rate (ORR), Karnofsky score (KPS), host cellular immune response and treatment related side effects were assessed. Results: Patients in Group B had significantly longer PFS than those in Group A. The overall response rate (ORR) and the disease control rate (DCR) showed no statistical difference between the Group B and Group A The level of CD3⁺, CD4⁺ were significantly higher after treatment. The level of CD3⁺ in Group A was significant lower after treatment. There were no immediate adverse reactions between the 2 groups. Conclusion: This study suggest that CIK cells immunotherapy combined with platinum chemotherapy and Xiaoji decoction may become an effective strategy to improve the survival and prolong the PFS of patients with advanced stage NSCLC.