Primary analysis for clinical efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Aims: Immunotherapy is an important treatment for pancreatic cancer (PC) patients. To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy in the treatment of PC, we performed a systemic review and meta-analysis of the relevant published clinical trials, collectively referred to as DC, DC-CIK, LAK, NK and GM-CSF secreting PC cell lines. Materials & methods: A total of 413 patients in 11 eligible trials with PC were selected for the present meta-analysis. Results: The estimated pooled overall survival showed a significant improvement for PC patients who received immunotherapy compared with nonimmunotherapy. The lymphocyte subsets, immune cytokine levels and serum cancer markers in the peripheral blood of PC patients were significantly improved after immunotherapy. Conclusion: The results showed that immunotherapy can improve the efficacy of the treatment of PC patients.