Adoptive Immunotherapy

The spontaneous regression of certain cancers (eg, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma) supports the idea that a patient’s immune system can delay tumor progression and, on rare occasions, can eliminate tumors altogether. These observations have led to research into various immunologic therapies designed to stimulate a patient’s own immune system. Adoptive immunotherapy is a method of activating lymphocytes and/or other types of cells for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Cells are removed from the patient, processed for some period of time, and then infused back into the patient. Allogeneic cell transplantation following nonmyeloablative conditioning of the recipient (known as reduced-intensity conditioning) also may be referred to as “adoptive immunotherapy” in the literature. However, reduced-intensity conditioning cell transplantation relies on a donor-vs-malignancy effect of donor lymphocytes. In contrast, the adoptive immunotherapy techniques described in this evidence review enhance autoimmune effects primarily. The use of reduced-intensity conditioning in cell transplantation is discussed for specific cancers in individual policies related to cell transplantation. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies for certain hematologic malignancies (eg, tisagenlecleucel, axicabtagene ciloleucel, brexucabtagene autoleucel) are discussed separately in evidence review 08.001.053 se of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in melanoma is discussed separately in evidence review 5.01.51.