Cancer regression and autoimmunity in patients after clonal repopulation with antitumor lymphocytes

We report here the adoptive transfer, to patients with metastatic melanoma, of highly selected tumor-reactive T cells directed against overexpressed self-derived differentiation antigens after a nonmyeloablative conditioning regimen. This approach resulted in the persistent clonal repopulation of T cells in those cancer patients, with the transferred cells proliferating in vivo, displaying functional activity, and trafficking to tumor sites. This led to regression of the patients metastatic melanoma as well as to the onset of autoimmune melanocyte destruction. This approach presents new possibilities for the treatment of patients with cancer as well as patients with human immunodeficiency virus related acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and other infectious diseases.