T-Lymphocytes in Treating Patients With Epstein-Barr Virus-Positive Nasopharyngeal Cancer, NPC (NPC)

October 5, 2012 updated by: Helen Heslop, Baylor College of Medicine

Administration of EBV-Specific T-Lymphocytes to Patients With EBV-Positive Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Patients have a type of cancer called nasopharyngeal cancer. This cancer has come back or not gone away or is at high risk for coming back after treatment (including the best treatment we know for nasopharyngeal cancer). We are asking patients to volunteer to be in a research study using special immune system cells called EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes, a new experimental therapy.

Most patients with nasopharyngeal cancer show evidence of infection with the virus that causes infectious mononucleosis, Epstein Barr virus (EBV), before or at the time of their diagnosis of nasopharyngeal cancer. EBV is found in the cancer cells of most patients with nasopharyngeal cancer, suggesting that it may play a role in causing this cancer. The cancer cells infected by EBV are able to hide from the body's immune system and escape destruction. We want to see if special white blood cells (called T cells) that have been trained to kill EBV-infected cells can survive in the patient's blood and affect the tumor.

We have treated other patients with different EBV positive cancers and have had variable results. Some patients have had some response to the treatment. Some patients have been cured by the treatment. It is not possible for us to predict if this treatment will work for nasopharyngeal cancer.

The purposes of this study are to find the largest safe dose of EBV specific cytotoxic T cells, to learn what the side effects are, and to see whether this therapy might help patients with nasopharyngeal cancer.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

We will first test a biopsy of the tumor (that has already been done) to see if your tumor cells are EBV positive. If the patient is eligible, we will then take 60-70 ml (12-14 teaspoons) of blood from them. We will use this blood to grow more of the T cells in the laboratory. We will first grow an EBV-infected cell line by infecting the blood with EBV virus. This line will then be irradiated so it cannot grow and used to stimulate the T cells. This stimulation will train the T cells to kill cells with EBV on their surface. We will then grow these EBV-specific CTLs by more stimulation with EBV infected cells and a growth factor called Interleukin 2. Next, we will test the T cells to make sure that they kill the EBV-infected cells. If the number of T cells produced is low, we may need to obtain additional blood samples to make these cells.

The cells (which are the patient's own T cells) will be injected into them over 10 minutes, after pretreatment with Tylenol and Benadryl. A total of two doses will be given two weeks apart. All of the Treatments will be given by the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Texas Children's Hospital or the Methodist Hospital.

We will follow the patient in the clinic after the injections. To learn more about the way the T cells are working and how long they last in the body, an extra 10-60 mls (2-12 teaspoons) of blood will be taken before the infusion and 3-4 days after the infusion (this is optional). Up to 40 ml (8 teaspoons) of blood will also be drawn at 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks post-infusion, and then at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The blood may be drawn from the patient's central line at the time of the regular blood tests. We will use this blood to look at the immune response to the patient's cancer. Over the course of the study, up to 29 tablespoons of blood will be drawn.

Patients will also have repeat scans at 8 weeks after the first injections. If these show stable or improving disease they may (if the patient wishs) receive up to 6 extra doses of cells. These would be given every 1-3 months. If the patient has additional injections of cells after the first two infusions, we will take extra blood tests before each infusion, at the end of each infusion, 3-4 days after each infusion (day optional depending on patient preference), and at 1 and 2 weeks after each infusion. We will also do an extra scan between 1 and 3 months after the last infusion. Follow up will then continue every 3 months and will continue until 12 months after the last infusion.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

25

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • The Methodist Hospital
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • Texas Children's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All patients with NPC in first or subsequent relapse or with primary refractory disease or high risk (T3 or T4, or node positive disease) in whom the EBV genome or antigens have been demonstrated in tissue biopsies will be eligible for this trial. -Patients with a life expectancy >6 weeks
  • Patients with a Karnofsky score of >/= 50
  • No severe intercurrent infection.
  • Patient, parent/guardian able to give informed consent.
  • Patients with bilirubin <2x normal, SGOT <3x normal, and Hgb >8.0
  • Patients with a creatinine <2x normal for age
  • Patients should have been off other investigational therapy for one month prior to entry in this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

-Patients with a life expectancy of <6 weeks. -Patients with a Karnofsky score of < 50. -Patients with a severe intercurrent infection. -Patient, parent/guardian unable to give informed consent. -Patients with a bilirubin >2x normal. SGOT >3x normal or abnormal prothrombin time. -Patients with a creatinine >2x normal for age -Due to unknown effects of this therapy on a fetus, pregnant women are excluded from this research. The male partner should use a condom.

Note: Patients who would be excluded from the protocol strictly for laboratory abnormalities can be included at the investigators discretion after approval by the CAGT Protocol Review Committee and the FDA reviewer.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: EBV specific CTL
autologous EBV specific CTLs
Biological: autologous EBV specific CTLs

30-40cc of peripheral blood will be used to generate EBV specific CTLs

Group One:

Day 0 - 2 x 10^7 cells/m2 Day 14 - 2 x 10^7 cells/m2

Group Two:

Day 0 - 2 x 10^7 cells/m2 Day 14 - 1 x 10^8 cells/m2

Group Three:

Day 0 - 1 x 10^8 cells/m2 Day 14 - 2 x 10^8 cells/m2

Other Names:
  • EBV specific CTLs

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Safety of two IV injections of autologously derived Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs)
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Patients will be enrolled at the first dose level and followed for six weeks after the second dose (which will constitute a course) for evaluation of any critical toxicity
6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
the survival, immunological efficacy and anti-tumor effects of EBV specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte lines.
Time Frame: 12 months
12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Baylor College of Medicine

Collaborators

The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Helen E. Heslop, MD, Baylor College of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

August 1, 2001

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 2, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 2, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

February 6, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

October 10, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 5, 2012

Last Verified

October 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • H-9935-NPC
  • NPC

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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