Exposure of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cancer patients to high concentrations of recombinant IL 2 in vitro has been observed to result in the generation of cells capable of causing lysis of a variety of tumor cells but not of normal lymphocytes. This study is an attempt to utilize such cells in the therapy of cancer in humans. Previous studies in the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute demonstrated significant antitumor activity of these cells when administered concurrently with IL 2. However, toxicity was substantial, and all patients required the administration of this therapy in the intensive care unit setting. Thus, in the first 11 patients entered on this study a Frederick, intermediate doses of dexamethasone were administered concurrent with the therapy in an attempt to reduce associated toxicity. The initial result suggested that there was a reduction in the antitumor activity when steroids were administered concomitantly. As a result, subsequent patients have been treated without steroids. To date, there has been one complete response and one minor response in patients with malignant melanoma, one minor response in a patient with nodular poorly differentiated lymphoma, and a mixed response in a patient with nodular mixed lymphoma in transformation to a diffuse large cell lymphoma.
