Immunization With the MAGE-3.A1 Peptide Mixed With the Adjuvant CpG 7909 in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

Phase I/II Study of Immunization With the MAGE-3.A1 Peptide Mixed With the Immunological Adjuvant CpG 7909 in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

The purposes of this study are to determine whether immunization with the MAGE-3.A1 peptide mixed with CpG 7909 results in a detectable immune response; to determine the safety of this vaccine and to document the tumor response to the vaccine.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Malignant Melanoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Biological: MAGE-3.A1 peptide and CpG 7909

Detailed Description

Patients will be vaccinated every two weeks on six occasions. On each vaccination day, the MAGE-3.A1 peptide (300 µg) mixed with CpG 7909 (5 mg) will be administered twice intradermally (10% of the dose each) and twice subcutaneously (40% of the dose each) in the arms and thighs.

Tumor staging will be performed before inclusion and at week 13. PBL collections will be performed before starting the treatment, and at weeks 3, 7 and 13. They will provide the T lymphocytes for the immunological analysis.

Additional cycles of immunization will be proposed to patients without tumor progression requiring another treatment. A second cycle of 3 injections at 6-week intervals will be started at week 17 with the same vaccine, followed by a third cycle of 12 injections at 3-month intervals starting at month 11. At any time, progression of the disease necessitating any treatment not allowed during the study, will result in study withdrawal.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 1
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Brussels, Belgium, B-1200
    • Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
  • Brussels, Belgium, B-1200
    • Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc (UCL)

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:

1. Histologically proven cutaneous melanoma, or clear cell sarcoma, which is considered as a subtype of melanoma.

2. Melanoma must be at one of the following AJCC 2002 stages:

   • Regional metastatic disease (any T; N2b, N2c or N3; M0).
   • Distant metastatic disease (any T; any N; M1a, M1b or M1c), except brain or leptomeningeal localizations, and except elevated LDH.
3. Patients must be HLA-A1.
4. Melanoma must express the MAGE-3 gene, as determined by RT-PCR.
5. Presence of at least one measurable or non-measurable tumor lesion, excluding leptomeningeal metastasis.
6. Expected survival of at least 3 months.
7. Karnofsky performance scale ≥70 or WHO performance status of 0 or 1.

8. Within the last 4 weeks prior to study day 1, vital laboratory parameters should be within normal range, except for the following laboratory parameters, which must be within the ranges specified:

   Lab Parameter Range

   • Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dl or ≥ 6,25 mmol/l
   • Granulocytes ≥ 1,500/µl
   • Lymphocytes ≥ 700/µl
   • Platelets ≥ 100,000/µl
   • Serum creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dl or ≤ 177 µmol/l
   • Serum bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dl or ≤ 34.2 µmol/l
   • ASAT and ALAT ≤ 2 x the normal upper limits
   • LDH ≤ the normal upper limit.

9. Viral tests:

   • HIV (human immunodeficiency virus): negative antibodies.
   • HBV (hepatitis B virus): negative antigens; antibodies may be positive.
   • HCV (hepatitis C virus): negative antibodies.
10. Age ≥ 18 years.
11. Able and willing to give valid written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Previous treatment with more than one regimen of systemic chemotherapy, combined or not with non-specific immunotherapy such as interferon alpha or interleukins. Chemoimmunotherapy or radiotherapy must be stopped within the preceding 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas and mitomycin C).
2. Previous treatment with a vaccine known or likely to contain the MAGE-3.A1 antigen, unless there is evidence that no CTL response against this antigen was induced by the vaccine.
3. Clinically significant heart disease i.e. NYHA class 3 congestive heart failure; myocardial infarction within the past six months; unstable angina; coronary angioplasty within the past 6 months; uncontrolled atrial or ventricular cardiac arrhythmias).
4. Active immunodeficiency or autoimmune disease. Vitiligo is not an exclusion criterion.
5. Other serious acute or chronic illnesses, e.g. active infections requiring antibiotics, bleeding disorders, or other conditions requiring concurrent medications not allowed during this study.
6. Other malignancy within 3 years prior to entry into the study, except for treated non-melanoma skin cancer and cervical carcinoma in situ.
7. Lack of availability for immunological and clinical follow-up assessments.
8. Participation in any other clinical trial involving another investigational agent within 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
9. Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
10. Women of childbearing potential: Refusal or inability to use effective means of contraception.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: MAGE-3.A1 Peptide mixed with CpG 7909; Patients were vaccinated every two weeks on six occasions. On each vaccination day, the MAGE-3.A1 peptide (300 mcg) mixed with CpG 7909 (5 mg) was administered twice intradermally (10% of the dose each) and twice subcutaneously (40% of the dose each) in the arms and thighs.	Biological: MAGE-3.A1 peptide and CpG 7909

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Patients With a Detectable Cytolytic T Lymphocyte (CTL) Response Following Immunization With the MAGE-3.A1 Peptide Mixed With CpG 7909.	Blood samples were collected prior to treatment and in weeks 3, 7, and 13. Specific CTL responses directed against the MAGE-3.A1 antigen were to be assessed by using restimulation in vitro, followed by staining with the A1/MAGE-3 tetramer and cloning of the tetramer-positive lymphocytes (MLPC/tetramer/cloning assay).	Up to 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
To Determine the Safety of the Treatment by Measuring the Number of Patients With Dose Limiting Toxicities (DLT)	All adverse events were graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) Scale, version 3.0. DLT was defined as: Any Grade 3 hematological or non-hematological toxicity other than skin or flu-like symptoms.; Any Grade 4 toxicity. To be dose-limiting, an adverse event must be definitely, probably, or possibly related to the administration of MAGE-3.A1 peptide mixed with CpG 7909.	up to 12 weeks
To Determine the Clinical Effectiveness of the Treatment by Measuring Tumor Response in Patients With Measurable Disease.	Computed tomography (CT) scans were performed at screening, and at week 13. Response was assessed using RECIST version 1.0 (Therasse et al, J Natl Cancer Inst 2000; 92:205-16). Per RECIST, target lesions are categorized as follows: complete response (CR): disappearance of all target lesions (no evaluable disease); partial response (PR): ≥ 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; progressive disease (PD): ≥ 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions; stable disease (SD): small changes that do not meet above criteria.	up to 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
• Investigators: Study Chair: Nicolas van Baren, MD, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research; Study Director: Thierry BOON, PhD, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Therasse P, Arbuck SG, Eisenhauer EA, Wanders J, Kaplan RS, Rubinstein L, Verweij J, Van Glabbeke M, van Oosterom AT, Christian MC, Gwyther SG. New guidelines to evaluate the response to treatment in solid tumors. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, National Cancer Institute of the United States, National Cancer Institute of Canada. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000 Feb 2;92(3):205-16. doi: 10.1093/jnci/92.3.205.
• Marchand M, van Baren N, Weynants P, Brichard V, Dreno B, Tessier MH, Rankin E, Parmiani G, Arienti F, Humblet Y, Bourlond A, Vanwijck R, Lienard D, Beauduin M, Dietrich PY, Russo V, Kerger J, Masucci G, Jager E, De Greve J, Atzpodien J, Brasseur F, Coulie PG, van der Bruggen P, Boon T. Tumor regressions observed in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with an antigenic peptide encoded by gene MAGE-3 and presented by HLA-A1. Int J Cancer. 1999 Jan 18;80(2):219-30. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19990118)80:23.0.co;2-s.
• Germeau C, Ma W, Schiavetti F, Lurquin C, Henry E, Vigneron N, Brasseur F, Lethe B, De Plaen E, Velu T, Boon T, Coulie PG. High frequency of antitumor T cells in the blood of melanoma patients before and after vaccination with tumor antigens. J Exp Med. 2005 Jan 17;201(2):241-8. doi: 10.1084/jem.20041379.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 12, 2005
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 7, 2005
• Study Completion (Actual): April 28, 2008

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 1, 2005
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 1, 2005
• First Posted (Estimate): September 5, 2005

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 7, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 3, 2022
• Last Verified: October 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Vaccine; Peptide; Melanoma; MAGE; CpG
• 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
• Other Study ID Numbers: LUD2002-001

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