Only mice bearing FKN- and IL-2-enriched neuroblastoma tumors exhibited a reduction in primary tumor growth and a complete eradication of experimental liver metastases.
Moreover, the in vivo antitumor activity of IL-2 gene-transduced NK-92 cells against established 3-day liver metastases in mice was greater than that of parental nontransduced NK cells.
Thus, IL-2 gene-transduced HR cells produced sufficient amounts of functional IL-2 in vivo to be able to recruit to the tumor site and support functions of endogenous cytotoxic immune effector cells, which were responsible for regression of hepatic metastases and significant improvement of survival in these mice.
Vaccinia CC-36 murine colon oncolysate (VCO) prepared with interleukin-2-gene encoded recombinant vaccinia virus (IL-2VCO) was used in the treatment of a syngeneic murine colon adenocarcinoma (CC-36) hepatic metastasis to test the beneficial effect of the interleukin-2-gene encoded vaccinia virus over a control recombinant vaccinia virus in producing a vaccinia oncolysate tumor cell vaccine.