Vaccination With Autologous Breast Cancer Cells Engineered to Secrete Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients

A Phase I Trial of Vaccination With Autologous, Lethally Irradiated Breast Cancer Cells Engineered by Adenoviral Mediated Gene Transfer to Secrete Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients

The purpose of this trial is to test the safety of a vaccine made from a patient's own breast cancer cells, and determine if this vaccine will delay or stop the growth of the cancer. The vaccine is made by genetically modifying a patient's own tumor cells to secrete granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to activate the immune response.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Breast Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Biological: Autologous, Lethally Irradiated Breast Cancer Cells

Detailed Description

After the patient has given their consent to participate in the trial, a series of tests will be performed to determine if the patient is eligible. These tests may take place up to 21 days before the surgery to remove a tumor sample or cancer-containing fluid, which will be used to create the vaccines. The tumor cells or fluid is then brought to a special, certified laboratory where the vaccine is made. Specially trained laboratory technicians then use a method known as adenoviral mediated gene transfer, which adds a new gene to the cancer cells. This gene causes the cells to make GM-CSF, a powerful hormone that stimulates the immune system. The cells are then given radiation so that they will not grow. Participants will start receiving vaccine on day 1, 8, 15, 29, and then every two weeks until the supply of vaccine has run out. The amount of the vaccine depends upon the total amount of cells that are obtained from the breast cancer tumor or fluid. Each time the patient is vaccinated, they will be given injections that will be placed underneath the skin. A different place will be used for each injection. If there are enough cells from the patient's tumor sample, the patient will be given an injection of non-transduced irradiated cells (the gene was not added) . These cells will help to measure how the patient's immune system is reacting to the tumor cells. This is called Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (DTH). With vaccine #1 and #5, the patient will also receive a DTH injection. Two to three days after the vaccine and DTH injection, skin biopsies will be taken of both sites. At week 10 in the study treatment, or earlier if necessary, the patient will have a chest, abdomen, and pelvic CT scan to determine if the vaccine therapy has had an effect on their disease. A brain MRI will be performed if there were any abnormalities on the first brain MRI or if new symptoms have developed. Patients may participate in this study until one of the following happens: All vaccine created from the tumor has been given to the patient; the patient's disease worsens; the patient experiences an unacceptable and/or harmful side effect; the patient is unable to follow the study plan; or the patient's doctor feels it is no longer in the best interest of the patient to continue.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 15
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
      • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
      • Brigham and Women's Hospital

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:

• Histologically confirmed Stage IV breast cancer
• Prior banked malignant effusion or significant malignant effusion for tumor harvest or surgically-accessible tumor nodule of at least 2cm in greatest diameter by physical exam, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scan
• Must have received at least one prior regimen of chemotherapy for metastatic disease
• Patients with HER2 positive tumors must have received at least one prior trastuzumab-based therapy in the metastatic setting, and may not receive trastuzumab therapy and vaccine treatment concurrently
• Patients may receive concurrent bisphosphonate therapy and/or erythropoetin therapy at any point while on study
• ECOG performance status 0 or 1
• Estimated life expectancy of greater than or equal to 6 months
• 18 years of age or older
• Greater than 4 weeks from immunotherapy, or systemic glucocorticoid therapy
• Adequate recovery from drug-related toxicities from prior systemic therapies
• Adequate recovery from recent surgery and radiation therapy
• Greater than 6 months since bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant

Exclusion Criteria:

• Urgent need for cytotoxic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery in the next 60 days
• Uncontrolled active infection or illness
• Psychiatric illness/social situation that would limit study compliance
• Pregnant or nursing mothers
• Evidence of HIV infection
• Previous participation in an adenovirus-based trial
• Concurrent invasive malignancy

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: Vaccine; Vaccinations will be administered on days 1,8,15 and every two weeks thereafter until the supply of vaccine has been exhausted or the patient is removed from study. As indicated in 5.2.5, vaccine cell dosage will be approximately 1x10 7 , 4x10 6 , 1x10 6 , or 1x10 5 depending on the final cell yield.	Biological: Autologous, Lethally Irradiated Breast Cancer Cells; Vaccine will be administered on days 1, 8, 15, 29 and then every 2 weeks until the supply of vaccine runs out

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Minimum Number of Vaccine Doses Created Using Participant Tumor Sample	Tumor samples were obtained via malignant effusion or a surgically accessible tumor nodule of 2 cm in greatest diameter. Tumor cells were processed to single cell suspension and transduced with adenoviral vector encoding human Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Then, the cells washed extensively and irradiated with 10,000 cGy. Over the next 14 days, sterility cultures were tested for endotoxin and mycoplasma contamination. Individual vaccine cell dose and number varied depending on the final cell yield from vaccine production. The minimal dose was 1 x 10^5 cells and the maximal dose was 1 x 10^7 cells.	Vaccine doses created and banked soon after registration, up to 8 days.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants With Grade 3 or Higher Adverse Events	Number of participants with grade 3 or higher adverse events as assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.0.	Up to 58 Months
Number of Participants With RECIST Criteria Responses	Clinical outcomes as measured by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 criteria. For target lesions, complete response (CR) is complete disappearance of all target lesions and partial response (PR) is at least a 30% decrease in the sum of longest diameter (LD) of target lesions, taking as reference baseline sum LD. Progressive disease (PD) is at least a 20% increase in sum LD of target lesions (smallest sum LD reference), new lesions, and/or unequivocal progression of existing non-target lesions. Stable disease (SD) is defined as any condition not meeting the above criteria.	Up to 14 Years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Collaborators: Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Beth Overmoyer, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Anderson KS, Erick TK, Chen M, Daley H, Campbell M, Colson Y, Mihm M, Zakka LR, Hopper M, Barry W, Winer EP, Dranoff G, Overmoyer B. The feasibility of using an autologous GM-CSF-secreting breast cancer vaccine to induce immunity in patients with stage II-III and metastatic breast cancers. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2022 Jul;194(1):65-78. doi: 10.1007/s10549-022-06562-y. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2006
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2008
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 21, 2006
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2006
• First Posted (Estimate): April 25, 2006

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 1, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 30, 2022
• Last Verified: March 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: GM-CSF; Stage IV breast cancer; autologous vaccination; adenoviral mediated gene transfer
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Breast Diseases; Breast Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: 05-111