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Clinical impact of s.c. administration of IL-2 and/or IFN alpha was studied in 23 pediatric patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (IFN alpha group) and sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, peripheral neuroepitelioma, neuroblastoma, and embryonic carcinoma (IL-2 + IFN alpha group) after autologous PBSC transplantation. Expression of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, CD38, CD56, CD71, CD122, and HLA-DR antigens, serum level of the soluble IL-2R alpha, and NK activity against K562 cell line were evaluated in 11 patients representative for both types of immunotherapy. T and, more markedly, NK cell proliferation, induction of activation markers on the surface of T and NK subsets, and elevation of sIL-2R alpha concentrations were seen in the IL-2 + IFN alpha subgroup. In the IFN alpha subgroup, the total number of lymphocytes and expression of activation markers remained unchanged, but the number of CD8+ T cells increased at the expense of CD4+ T and NK cells during the therapy. Cytotoxic activity against K562 cells was not influenced by the immunotherapy in either subgroup. No significant clinical benefit of the immunotherapy was seen in these patients compared to 27 control patients with relevant diagnoses who did not receive immunotherapy.

No abstract