NY-ESO-1 Protein Vaccine With Imiquimod in Melanoma (Adjuvant Setting)

NY-ESO-1 Protein Vaccination in Malignant Melanoma Administered With Imiquimod as Adjuvant

This was a Phase 1, single-arm, open-label, pilot study of NY-ESO-1 protein vaccination with imiquimod as an adjuvant in patients with resected Stage IIB, IIC, and III malignant melanoma. The primary study objective was to determine the safety of NY-ESO-1 protein/imiquimod treatment, and the secondary objective was to evaluate the immunogenicity of treatment.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Malignant Melanoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Imiquimod; Biological: NY-ESO-1 protein

Detailed Description

Patients applied imiquimod (250 mg) topically to a designated area of healthy skin on the upper inner arm or inner thigh (the cream remained on the skin overnight for 6-10 hours) every day for 5 consecutive days (i.e., for the first 5 days of Cycles 1-3 and for the first 4 days of Cycle 4). The NY-ESO-1 protein (100 μg) was injected intradermally into the imiquimod-pretreated area on Day 3 of each cycle for 4 consecutive 21-day cycles.

Safety was monitored continuously. Immunization was assessed by the generation of NY-ESO-1-specific cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) assays and by the development or augmentation of NY-ESO-1-specific antibody titers, assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Blood samples were obtained for the assessment of clinical biochemistry and hematology, and physical examinations were performed at baseline, on Day 1 of each cycle, and at a follow-up visit at Week 13.

Skin biopsies of the vaccinated area were obtained 48 hours after the last injection (Day 5 of Cycle 4). To avoid irritation, imiquimod was not applied after the biopsies.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 9
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10016
      • NYU Cancer Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Had histologically confirmed, resected American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage IIB, IIC or III malignant melanoma
• Fully recovered from surgery
• Age ≥ 18 years; children were excluded from this study, as the safety of imiquimod had not been established in patients below the age of 18
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤ 2

• Adequate organ and marrow function as defined below:

  • absolute neutrophil count: ≥ 1500/μL
  • hemoglobin: ≥ 9 g/dL
  • platelets: ≥ 100,000/μL
  • total bilirubin: ≤ 1.5 × institutional upper limit of normal (ULN)
  • aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT): ≤ 2.5 × institutional ULN
  • creatinine: ≤ 1.5 × institutional ULN
• Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

Exclusion Criteria:

• Received chemotherapy, immunotherapy (including interferon), or radiotherapy within 4 weeks prior to first dosing of study agent
• Prior treatment with NY-ESO-1 vaccines
• Known human immunodeficiency virus infection or autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus), as these conditions could have interfered with the evaluation of the induced immune response; patients with vitiligo or melanoma-associated hypopigmentation were not excluded
• History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to imiquimod or other agents used in the study
• Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection,symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would have limited compliance with study requirements
• Pregnancy or lactation
• Women of childbearing potential not using a medically acceptable means of contraception
• Known history of inflammatory skin disorders, as imiquimod might have exacerbated these conditions
• Chronic corticosteroid or immunosuppressive therapies, as these might have interfered with the evaluation of the induced immune response
• Lack of availability for immunological and clinical follow-up assessments

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Imiquimod + NY-ESO-1; Patients applied topical imiquimod followed by vaccination with intradermal injections of the NY-ESO-1 protein.

Drug: Imiquimod; Patients applied imiquimod cream at bedtime every day for 5 consecutive days (for the first 5 days of Cycles 1-3 and for the first 4 days of Cycle 4) at a dose of 250 mg as supplied in single-use packets to a 4 x 5 cm area of healthy skin, alternating among the extremities (upper inner arms and inner thighs) in each cycle. The cream was to be rubbed into the skin until it was no longer visible. Patients were encouraged to wash their hands before and after applying cream. The application site was not occluded. The next morning, 6 to 10 hours after initial application, the treated area was washed with mild soap and water to remove any residual cream.; Other Names: Aldara; Biological: NY-ESO-1 protein; NY-ESO-1 protein was injected intradermally by a study physician or nurse at a dose of 100 μg into the imiquimod-pretreated area on Day 3 of each cycle for 4 consecutive 21-day cycles.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Patients With Treatment-emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs)	Toxicity was graded in accordance with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 3.0, as follows: Grade 1 (mild), Grade 2 (moderate), Grade 3 (severe), Grade 4 (life-threatening), and Grade 5 (fatal). Adverse events (AEs) were reported based on clinical laboratory tests, vital sign and weight measurements, physical examinations, performance status evaluations, and any other medically indicated assessments, including patient interviews, from the time informed consent was signed through the last follow-up visit. AEs were considered to be treatment emergent (TEAE) if they occurred or worsened in severity after the first dose of study treatment.	Up to 4 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Patients With Cellular Antibody Response to NY-ESO-1 at Two or More Post-vaccination Time Points	Assays to assess cluster of differentiation (CD)8+ and CD4+ antigen-specific responses were performed at baseline (Cycle 1 Day 1), throughout the vaccination period (Day 1 of Cycles 2 through 4 and Day 10 of each cycle), and at the 2 post-treatment follow-up visits (Weeks 13 and 16) by enzyme-linked immune absorbent spot (ELISPOT) assay following prior in vitro sensitization. A 3-fold increase in spot-forming cells over baseline defined a positive response. Suitable antigens may have included recombinant viral vectors encoding NY-ESO-1, or NY-ESO-1 overlapping peptides, depending upon availability.	Up to 4 months
Number of Patients With Humoral Antibody Response to NY-ESO-1	Assays to assess NY-ESO-1 specific antibodies were performed at baseline (Cycle 1 Day 1), throughout the vaccination period (Day 1 of Cycles 2 through 4 and Day 10 of each cycle), and at the 2 post-treatment follow-up visits (Weeks 13 and 16) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Samples were diluted serially. The induction and augmentation of immunity were defined as an increase in antibody titer of ≥ 3× over buffer alone or ≥ 4× the pre-vaccination titer, respectively. Sera from the responding patients were tested a second time against a pool of NY-ESO-1 overlapping peptides to confirm NY-ESO-1 specificity; the number of patients in the table reflect the patients with confirmed NY-ESO-1 specificity.	Up to 4 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
• Collaborators: Cancer Research Institute (CRI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD, NYU Langone Health; Study Director: Sylvia Adams, MD, NYU Langone Health

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Adams S, O'Neill DW, Nonaka D, Hardin E, Chiriboga L, Siu K, Cruz CM, Angiulli A, Angiulli F, Ritter E, Holman RM, Shapiro RL, Berman RS, Berner N, Shao Y, Manches O, Pan L, Venhaus RR, Hoffman EW, Jungbluth A, Gnjatic S, Old L, Pavlick AC, Bhardwaj N. Immunization of malignant melanoma patients with full-length NY-ESO-1 protein using TLR7 agonist imiquimod as vaccine adjuvant. J Immunol. 2008 Jul 1;181(1):776-84. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.181.1.776.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 24, 2005
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 25, 2006
• Study Completion (Actual): April 25, 2006

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 1, 2005
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 1, 2005
• First Posted (Estimate): September 2, 2005

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 10, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 3, 2022
• Last Verified: October 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Malignant melanoma; Stages IIB-III
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neuroectodermal Tumors; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Nevi and Melanomas; Melanoma; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Antineoplastic Agents; Immunologic Factors; Adjuvants, Immunologic; Interferon Inducers; Imiquimod
• Other Study ID Numbers: LUD2004-006; NYU 04-53 (Other Identifier: New York University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No