Activated Lymphocyte-Based Immunotherapy Plus Tomotherapy in an Older Patient with Stage III Lung Cancer: A Case...

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors and is associated with a high mortality rate, especially in aged patients. Immunotherapy is an effective method for treating lung cancer, particularly when used in combination with other treatments like chemotherapy. One of the types of immunotherapy is the use of autologous immune cells that are pre-activated before injection back to a patient. The effectiveness of this type of immunotherapy is determined by the specificity of its action on cancer cells through the activation of immune cell, e.g., lymphocytes. However, this treatment is not extensively used in elder patients due to higher risk of complications. On the other hand, in those aged patients who suffer from late stage cancer, the immune-cell based immunotherapy may come as a last resort. In this study, we present a clinical case of a 63-year-old patient with advanced-stage lung cancer and CT-confirmed infiltration of the left main bronchus. Treatment of the patient with immunotherapy using autologous activated lymphocytes combined with tomotherapy resulted in prominent improvement and decreased size of the malignancy. This positive effect was accompanied by a decrease in the number of circulating tumor cells in the blood. The patient was treated in May-June 2024 and is still alive with good condition as of August 2025. We conclude that combined treatment is a reliable option for selected aged patients with advanced-stage lung cancer.