Safety and Short-Term Efficacy of Irreversible Electroporation and Allogenic Natural Killer Cell Immunotherapy Combination in the Treatment of Patients with Unresectable Primary Liver Cancer

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the safety and short-term efficacy of irreversible electroporation (IRE) combined with allogenic natural killer (NK) cell immunotherapy in the treatment of patients with unresectable primary liver cancer.Materials and MethodsBetween October 2015 and December 2016, 40 patients were enrolled and randomly allocated to either the IRE group (n=22) or the IRE-NK group (n=18). All adverse events experienced by the patients were recorded; the changes in tumor biomarkers [AFP, CA 19-9, circulating tumor cells (CTCs)], lymphocyte number and function, quality of life, clinical response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed.ResultsPatients who received combination therapy exhibited significantly longer median PFS and OS than who just received IRE (PFS 15.1 vs. 10.6months, P<0.05, OS 17.9 vs. 23.2months, P<0.05). The combination therapy of IRE and NK cell immunotherapy significantly reduced CTCs and increased immune function and Karnofsky performance status.ConclusionOur data suggest a novel, promising combination therapy using IRE and allogenic NK cell immunotherapy. Larger clinical trials are required to confirm these conclusions.