Hapten-enhanced therapeutic effect in advanced stages of lung cancer by ultra-minimum incision personalized intratumoral chemoimmunotherapy therapy

AIM: The objective of the study reported here was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of hapten-enhanced chemoimmunotherapy in the treatment of advanced lung cancer by ultra-minimum incision personalized intratumoral chemoimmunotherapy (UMIPIC) and to analyze the effect of this immune booster. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 97 patients with advanced lung cancer were treated with UMIPIC or intratumoral chemotherapy (ITCT). UMIPIC was delivered intratumorally in combination with a proprietary therapeutic regimen composed of three components – an oxidant, a cytotoxic drug, and hapten. ITCT applied using the same procedures and regimen, only without hapten. All data from the two groups were reviewed and analyzed. A total of 55 patients were treated with UMIPIC and 42 with ITCT. Patient responses were assessed with computed tomography scan 4–6 weeks after treatment, and all of the patients were followed until their deaths. RESULTS: Median overall survival was 11.23 months in the UMIPIC (test) group and 5.62 months in the ITCT (control) group (P<0.01). The 6-month and 1-year survival rates of the UMIPIC and ITCT groups were 76.36% versus 45.23% (P<0.01) and 45.45% versus 23.81% (P<0.05), respectively. Two cycles of UMIPIC treatment (n=19) conferred a significant survival benefit compared with two cycles of ITCT (n=29); significant benefits in survival time were also found with UMIPIC (n=20) compared with ITCT (n=13) when both were utilized without adjuvant treatment. CONCLUSION: The hapten-enhanced clinical effect of UMIPIC conferred a superior survival time in patients with advanced lung cancer compared with ITCT. The addition of the hapten in UMIPIC demonstrates a significant advantage in terms of prolonged survival time.