In the present case study, an immunomodulatory regimen for cancer prevention is reported. A patient with an abnormally high level of the tumor markers, carbohydrate antigen-724 (CA724), CA19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), although without any detectable tumor, was treated with an immunomodulatory therapy featuring an infusion of cytokine-induced autologous killer cells (CIKs) at the request of the patient. Following the therapy, the three tumor markers rapidly decreased to below the normal reference level, although there still were slight fluctuations within a narrow range frequently. The patient was monitored for 21 months to the present day and no abnormality was observed. The results indicated that this therapy may be applied as a novel strategy that is effective and reliable for cancer prevention. As there is no promising regimen for the prevention of malignancies to date, such a treatment may become a major cancer prophylactic regimen, particularly for patients who are at a high risk of cancer.
Keywords: cancer; cellular immunity; cytokine; cytokine-induced autologous killer cells; immunomodulation.