The combination of
radiotherapy and
immunotherapy has shown great promise in eradicating
tumors. For example, 125I radioactive particle implantation and cytokine-induced killer cell
therapies have demonstrated efficacy in treating
hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the mechanism of this combination
therapy remains unknown. In this study, we utilized cytokine-induced killer cells obtained from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells along with 125I radioactive particle implantation to treat subcutaneous
hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft
tumors in BALB/c nude mice. The effects of combination
therapy on
tumor growth,
tumor cell apoptosis and proliferation, animal survival, and immune indexes were then assessed. The results indicated that 125I radioactive particle implantation combined with cytokine-induced killer cells shows a much greater antitumor
therapeutic effect than either of the
therapies alone when compared to control treatments. Mice treated with a combination of
radiotherapy and
immunotherapy displayed significantly reduced
tumor growth. 125I radioactive particle implantation upregulated the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I chain-related gene A in
hepatocellular carcinoma cells and enhanced cytokine-induced killer cell-mediated apoptosis through activation of
caspase-3. Furthermore, cytokine-induced killer cells supplied immune substrates to induce a strong immune response after 125I radioactive particle implantation
therapy. In conclusion, 125I radioactive particle implantation combined with cytokine-induced killer cell
therapy significantly inhibits the growth of human
hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vivo and improves animal survival times through mutual promotion of antitumor immunity, presenting a promising
therapy for
hepatocellular carcinoma.