Cytotoxic T Cell Adoptive Immunotherapy as a Treatment for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We assess the safety and tolerability of adoptive transfer of autologous cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific for the EBV latent membrane protein (LMP) in a patient with recurrent NPC. After infusion, the majority of pulmonary lesions were no longer evident, although the primary tumor did not regress. CASE REPORT In 2002, a middle-aged man (42 years old) was diagnosed withstage IV (T4 N2c M1) Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive undif-ferentiated carcinoma with all of the pathological characteristics of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This NPC patient (HLA A11, B60, B62) presented with multiple pulmonary metastases. He underwent a course of chemotherapy (3 cycles of induction cisplatin and fluorouracil [5FU]) and high-dose palliative radio-therapy to the nasopharynx and upper (60 Gy in 30 fractions over 6 weeks) and lower (50 Gy) cervical nodes, followed by 3 more cycles of cisplatin and 5FU. This treatment resulted in a complete radiological regression of pulmonary metastases and partial re