Study of NY-ESO-1 ISCOMATRIX® in Patients With Measurable Stage III or IV Melanoma

A Phase II Study of the Clinical and Immunological Effects of NY-ESO-1 ISCOM® Vaccine in Patients With Measurable Stage III and IV Malignant Melanoma

This was a Phase 2, open-label study of the NY-ESO-1 ISCOMATRIX® (ISCOM) vaccine administered as an intramuscular injection given every 4 weeks to subjects with measurable advanced malignant melanoma. Study objectives included determination of the anticancer activity, cellular and humoral immunogenicity, and safety and tolerability of the NY-ESO-1 ISCOM vaccine administered alone or preceded by a single administration of low-dose cyclophosphamide.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Melanoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Biological: NY-ESO-1 ISCOMATRIX® vaccine; Drug: Cyclophosphamide

Detailed Description

In Cohort 1, 6 subjects were initially vaccinated with the NY-ESO-1 ISCOM vaccine at a dose of 100 µg of the NY-ESO-1 protein + 120 µg of the ISCOM adjuvant. These 6 subjects were monitored for dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) for 7 days after the first vaccination. Upon observation of tolerability (ie, < 2/6 subjects with DLT), enrollment proceeded to a total accrual of approximately 25 subjects. Subjects received 3 vaccinations administered every 4 weeks (ie, weeks 1, 5, and 9) followed by immunological and clinical response evaluations, with clinical responses categorized according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). In the absence of disease progression, subjects may have received 3 additional vaccinations administered every 4 weeks, followed by additional vaccinations administered every 12 weeks thereafter until development of disease progression or other criteria for discontinuation.

In Cohort 2, subjects received the NY-ESO-1 ISCOM vaccine on the same schedule as described for Cohort 1, but Cohort 2 subjects also received a single intravenous infusion of low-dose cyclophosphamide 1 day prior to each NY-ESO-1 ISCOM vaccination. If responses were observed in 2 of 16 subjects initially treated in Cohort 2, then 9 additional subjects were to be accrued to Cohort 2, for a total potential accrual of 25 subjects.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 46
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Australia
  • Victoria
    • East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3002
      • Peter Maccallum Cancer Institute
    • Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, 3084
      • Austin Health (Ludwig Institute Oncology Unit)

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. Stage IV (metastatic) or unresectable stage III malignant melanoma.
2. Measurable disease using RECIST.
3. No other effective therapy available or appropriate.
4. Expression of NY-ESO-1 or LAGE-1 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
5. Expected survival of at least 4 months.
6. Karnofsky performance status of ≥ 70%.

7. Within 3 weeks prior to first administration of study drug, the following laboratory parameters were required to be within the ranges specified:

   • Hemoglobin ≥ 100 g/L
   • Platelets ≥ 100 x 10^9/L
   • International normalized ratio ≤ 2.0
   • Creatinine ≤ 0.2 mmol/L
   • Bilirubin ≤ 30 mmol/L
8. Age ≥ 18 years.
9. Able and willing to give written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Other serious illnesses, eg, serious infections requiring antibiotics, bleeding disorders, or any condition that in the opinion of the Investigator would have interfered with the ability of the patient to complete all study requirements.
2. Other malignancy within last 3 years, except for treated melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer or cervical cancer in situ.
3. Known immunodeficiency.
4. Known human immunodeficiency virus positivity.
5. Concomitant systemic treatment with corticosteroids, anti-histaminic drugs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Specific cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, low-dose aspirin for the prevention of an acute cardiovascular event, and topical or inhaled steroids were permitted.
6. Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy within 4 weeks prior to study week 1.
7. Other immunotherapy within 4 weeks prior to study week 1.
8. Mental impairment that may have compromised the ability to give informed consent and comply with the requirements of the study.
9. Lack of availability for immunological and clinical follow-up assessment.
10. Participation in any other clinical trial involving another investigational agent within 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
11. Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
12. 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: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cohort 1; NY-ESO-1 ISCOM vaccine (100 μg of the NY-ESO-1 protein formulated with 120 μg of ISCOM adjuvant) administered as an intramuscular injection every 4 weeks for 3 doses in every cycle.	Biological: NY-ESO-1 ISCOMATRIX® vaccine; NY-ESO-1 ISCOM vaccine (100 μg of the NY-ESO-1 protein formulated with 120 μg of ISCOM adjuvant) administered as an intramuscular injection every 4 weeks for 3 doses in every cycle.
Experimental: Cohort 2; Cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m^2) administered as an intravenous injection 1 day prior to each vaccination with NY-ESO-1 ISCOM (100 μg of the NY-ESO-1 protein formulated with 120 μg of ISCOM adjuvant), which was administered as an intramuscular injection every 4 weeks for 3 doses in every cycle.	Biological: NY-ESO-1 ISCOMATRIX® vaccine; NY-ESO-1 ISCOM vaccine (100 μg of the NY-ESO-1 protein formulated with 120 μg of ISCOM adjuvant) administered as an intramuscular injection every 4 weeks for 3 doses in every cycle.; Drug: Cyclophosphamide; Cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m^2) administered as an intravenous injection 1 day prior to each vaccination with NY-ESO-1 ISCOM (100 μg of the NY-ESO-1 protein formulated with 120 μg of ISCOM adjuvant), which was administered as an intramuscular injection every 4 weeks for 3 doses in every cycle.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Subjects With Best Overall Tumor Response	Tumor responses were evaluated using computed tomography and categorized according to RECIST (version 1.0) at baseline, at week 11, between weeks 23 and 25, and every 12 weeks thereafter. Per RECIST, target lesions are categorized as follows: Complete Response (CR): Disappearance of all target lesions [no evidence of 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 22 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cellular Immunogenicity of the NY-ESO-1 ISCOM Vaccine	Blood samples were drawn to measure cellular response at pretreatment and weeks 3, 7, 11, between weeks 23 and 25, week 33, and every 12 weeks thereafter. Cellular immunity included an assay for gamma interferon-producing T cells and enumeration of NY-ESO-1b-specific T cells, detected by fluorescent labeled human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2 tetramers carrying the NY-ESO-1b peptide, expressed as percent positive staining of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Data are presented for CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses (not mutually exclusive) that were pre-existing at baseline (BL) or presented at any time post-BL.	Up to 22 months
Post-Vaccination Delayed-type Hypersensitivity (DTH) Reactions	NY-ESO-1-specific DTH was measured by intradermal injection with the full-length NY-ESO-1 protein, NY-ESO-1b peptide, and NY-ESO-1 DP4 peptide at pretreatment, week 11, and between week 23 and 25. DTH reactions (eg, local skin irritation) were evaluated 2 days after DTH injections. Data presented are based on injections with the full-length peptide, as these data are considered to be representative of the comprehensive DTH results.	Up to 22 months
Humoral Immunogenicity of the NY-ESO-1 ISCOM Vaccine	Blood samples were drawn to measure humoral immunologic response at pretreatment and weeks 3, 7, 11, 33, and every 12 weeks thereafter. Humoral immunity was assessed by measurement of antibodies to NY-ESO-1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Data are presented according to baseline (BL) NY-ESO-1 antibody positivity and the time to seroconversion, if applicable.	Up to 22 months
Number of Subjects With Treatment-emergent Adverse Events	Toxicity was graded in accordance with the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 3.0). Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were reported based on clinical laboratory tests, physical examinations, and vital signs from pre-treatment through the study period. Dose-limiting toxicity was defined as any treatment-related grade 4 toxicity or any grade 3 toxicity, excluding grade 3 skin necrosis at the site of the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction, fever, or asymptomatic hyperglycemia that improved to baseline within 3 weeks of onset.	Up to 22 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
• Collaborators: Austin Health; Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jonathan S Cebon, FRACP, MBBS, PhD, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research - Oncology Unit; Principal Investigator: Ian D Davis, FRACP, FAChPM, MBBS, PhD, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research - Oncology Unit

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Nicholaou T, Ebert LM, Davis ID, McArthur GA, Jackson H, Dimopoulos N, Tan B, Maraskovsky E, Miloradovic L, Hopkins W, Pan L, Venhaus R, Hoffman EW, Chen W, Cebon J. Regulatory T-cell-mediated attenuation of T-cell responses to the NY-ESO-1 ISCOMATRIX vaccine in patients with advanced malignant melanoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2009 Mar 15;15(6):2166-73. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-2484. Epub 2009 Mar 10.
• Klein O, Davis ID, McArthur GA, Chen L, Haydon A, Parente P, Dimopoulos N, Jackson H, Xiao K, Maraskovsky E, Hopkins W, Stan R, Chen W, Cebon J. Low-dose cyclophosphamide enhances antigen-specific CD4(+) T cell responses to NY-ESO-1/ISCOMATRIX vaccine in patients with advanced melanoma. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2015 Apr;64(4):507-18. doi: 10.1007/s00262-015-1656-x. Epub 2015 Feb 7.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 28, 2003
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 22, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): January 22, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 16, 2007
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 16, 2007
• First Posted (Estimate): August 20, 2007

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 25, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 3, 2022
• Last Verified: October 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cyclophosphamide; Clinical Trial; Phase 2; Cancer Vaccine; NY-ESO-1 protein, human; ISCOMATRIX, immunological adjuvant; T-Cells, Regulatory
• 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; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Antirheumatic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Immunosuppressive Agents; Immunologic Factors; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; Alkylating Agents; Myeloablative Agonists; Cyclophosphamide
• Other Study ID Numbers: LUD2002-013; CTN Trial No.: 2007/123; CTN-Protocol# LUD2002-013AMEND

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Yes
• IPD Plan Description: Data have been published

Drug and device information, study documents

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