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In Vivo and in Vitro Studies of Immunotherapy of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma with Transfer Factor¹

Department of Medicine, University of Manitoba, and The Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E OV9, Canada

Epstein-Barr virus, the apparent cause of infectious mononucleosis, may also be an etiological agent in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Burkitt's lymphoma. Lymphocytes from normal individuals with anti-Epstein-Barr virus antibody activity may be sensitized to Epstein-Barr virus and contain transfer factor with the potential to program and/or recruit other lymphocytes to react against the virus and/or viral antigens. A patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma refractory to conventional therapy was treated with transfer factor obtained from normal, young adults with a previous history of infectious mononucleosis. Following immunotherapy, apparent slowing of tumor growth was observed, which was associated with intense lymphocytic infiltration of the tumor and reconstitution of delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions to microbial recall antigens. A double-blind randomized clinical trial has been initiated to determine whether transfer factor immunotherapy is a useful adjunct to radiotherapy in the primary treatment of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. If successful, a similar trial might be considered for African patients with Burkitt's lymphoma.

¹ Presented at the symposium "Immunological Control of Virus-associated Tumors in Man: Prospects and Problems," April 7 to 9, 1975, Bethesda, Md. This work was supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

² Presenter. Clinical Research Associate of the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

³ Centennial Fellow of the Medical Research Council of Canada.