Intralesional Immunotherapy of Brain Tumors With Combined Corynebacterium parvum and Recombinant Interleukin-2 in Mice

Clinical observations and experimental work suggested that inflammatory cells attracted to the brain exert a nonspecific antineoplastic effect. Intralesional treatment of implanted malignant murine brain tumors (KHT sarcomas) with killed Corynebacterium parvum produced an inflammatory cell infiltrate and increased survival in C3H mice relative to that in untreated control C3H mice. This antitumor effect was enhanced when recombinant interleu-kin-2 was sequentially added as a second intralesional immunomodifier. A high percentage of mice so treated were cured. Inflammatory cells in the brains of treated mice divided for 1–2 weeks, and metabolic activity of astrocytes increased. These findings form the basis for a recently initiated immunotherapy protocol in patients with recurrent glio-blastoma multiforme. [J Natl Cancer Inst 82:1340–1344, 1990]