The invention provides methods of preparing autologous T-lymphocytes for re-introduction into a patient having cancer, which method comprises obtaining peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a patient immunized with an antigen of the cancer, stimulating the PBMCs with the antigen of the cancer in vitro, transducing the PBMCs with a retroviral vector, which (a) comprises and expresses a human interleukin-2 (IL-2) coding sequence operably linked to a retroviral promoter, (b) does not comprise an exogenously introduced gene that enables phenotypic selection, and (c) comprises a viral envelope that efficiently transduces CD8+ T-lymphocytes; compositions comprising cells obtained in accordance with such methods; and methods of treating a patient having cancer by administering to the patient cells obtained in accordance with such methods or compositions comprising same.