EXPERIMENTAL IMMUNOTHERAPY MODEL OF RETINOBLASTOMA

Introduction. The main reason for enucleation of the eye when attempting organ-preserving treatment are intraocular tumors that do not respond well to chemotherapy.
Purpose. The aim of the study was to find new effective and safe organ-preserving methods of treatment of intraocular refractory and recurrent retinoblastoma (RB).
Materials and methods. The study included female chinchilla rabbits. The cell line of human RB was intravitreally inserted into the right eye of each animal. The left eye was a control. After obtaining a stable intraocular growth of RB and prolongation of the growth of RB, human cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTL) were intravitreally injected into the affected and control eye K1 at a concentration of 1 × 106 in 0.1 ml suspension and K2 – 5 × 106 in 0.1 ml, respectively.
Results. Histological examination of the removed right eyes in animals confirmed the presence of nodal growth of malignant small-cell tumor on the border of the vascular and retinal membranes (epicenter in the choroid) on the posterior wall of the eye. There was scant lymphoid infiltration, without signs of therapeutic pathomorphosis. In the removed animal»s left eyes there is a preservation of histological structures of the eyeball, without dystrophic changes in the cells of the retina and vascular membranes. In the area of limb unit microcap lymphohistiocytic infiltration (with no elements of the tumor). In the choroid single scattered lymphocytes.
Conclusion. A short period of observation of the tumor did not allow conclusions about the effectiveness of CTL, but the concentrations of CTL used in the experiment did not lead to dystrophic changes in retinal cells and the choroid of the eye, which is an important factor in overcoming the toxicity of the proposed adoptive immunotherapy. At the next stage of the experiment, in our opinion, it is necessary to study in more detail the cytotoxic effect on healthy structures of the eye and the effectiveness of CTL in a larger number of affected rabbit eyes, using their different concentrations and multiplicity of administration. 

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