Immunological responses induced by the combination of phototherapy and immunotherapy in the treatment of metastatic tumors

Combination therapy using laser photothermal interaction and immunological stimulation has demonstrated its ability to induce immunological responses. Glycated chitosan (GC), an immunological stimulant, and imiquimod, a new type of immune response modifier (IRM), when used in conjunction with laser phototherapy, have shown to have a great immunological stimulation function. Specifically, imiquimod can help release cytokines from immunocompetent cells, stimulate TH1 lymphocyte responses (CD8+ T-cells), and recruit additional dendritic cells. To study the effects of immunoadjuvnats in combination of laser photo-irradiation, we treated animal tumors with laser-ICG-GC combination and late-stage melanoma patients with laser-ICG-imiquimod combination. At designated times, tumors, blood, and spleens in both treated and untreated animals were colleted for analysis. The major immunological indicators, such as IL-6, IL-12, IFN-gamma, CD4, and CD8 were analyzed. The same immunological analysis was also performed for melanoma patients treated by the laser-imiquimod combination.