Efficacy of adoptively transferred allogeneic CIK cells on colorectal cancer: Augmentative antitumoral effects of GvHD

•Adoptive transfer of allogeneic CIK cells eliminated ∼80 % of neoplastic colorectal cells.•CIK cell-treated xenograft-bearing mice had significantly longer survival.•Tumoricidality of allotransplantation of CIK cells multiplied after emergence of GvHD.•CIK cells homed to and engrafted inside the tumor tissue.•CD56 expression of HT29 colorectal tumor cells may be linked to high-response to CIK cells. A preclinical study was designed to evaluate the effects of adoptively transferred cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells on colorectal adenocarcinoma. Forty NOG mice bearing HT-29 xenograft tumors were developed and equally divided into 2 groups of treatment and control. The mice in the treatment group received cumulatively 40–60 × 106 CIK cells in four divided doses. Median tumor doubling times for HT-29 xenograft tumors in the treatment and control groups were found to be 8.98 and 4.32 days; respectively. The treatment resulted in tumor growth delay (TGD) of 52.5 %. CIK cell-induced log cell kill (LCK) was found to be 0.67, which implies reduction of 78.6 % of neoplastic colorectal cells. Median length of survival in the treated mice was significantly longer than controls (57 (41–63) vs 41 (31–57) days, P