Dendritic Cell-based Immunotherapy Combined With Low-dose Cyclophosphamide in Patients With Malignant Mesothelioma (PMR-MM-002)

February 26, 2014 updated by: joost hegmans, Erasmus Medical Center
Earlier the investigators determined the safety and feasibility of tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cells as therapeutic adjuvants in mesothelioma patients. Because pre-clinical data in mice had shown that better results were obtained when regulatory T cells were depleted using low-dosis of cyclophosphamide, ten patients who responded on chemotherapy are selected for DC-treatment in combination with Endoxan.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Currently there is no satisfactory low-toxicity treatment for patients with mesothelioma (MM). Based on studies in other types of cancer in humans where beneficial effects were obtained, and based on our pre-clinical data in a mouse model for MM, led to the introduction of DC-immunotherapy for human MM in 2005. A beneficial effect of immunotherapy in MM patients without major side effects was found, however, research has shown that DC immunotherapy might be further improved. The objectives of the here proposed phase study are:

  • To define the safety and toxicity of low dose CTX in combination with MesoCancerVac in patients with MM.
  • To determine if vaccination with low dose CTX in combination with MesoCancerVac results in a detectable immune response by skin DTH reactions on MM crude antigen and KLH and by in vitro laboratory analysis.
  • To observe and document anti-cancer activity by laboratory evaluation (e.g. decrease in Tregs, increase in CTLs using 51Cr release and IFN-gamma ELISPOT)
  • To observe and document anti-cancer activity by clinical evaluation (e.g. CT scan)

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

10

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

  • Netherlands
    • Zuid-Holland
      • Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands, 3000 CA
        • Erasmus Medical Center

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:

  • Patients with clinically and histological or cytological confirmed newly diagnosed MM, that can be measured in two dimensions by a radiologic imaging study.
  • Patients must be at least 18 years old and must be able to give written informed consent.
  • Patients must be ambulatory (Karnofsky scale > 70, or WHO-ECOG performance status 0,1, or 2) and in stable medical condition. The expected survival must be at least 4 months.
  • Patients must have normal organ function and adequate bone marrow reserve: absolute neutrophil count > 1.5 x 109/l, platelet count > 100 x 109/l, and Hb > 6.0 mmol/l.
  • Positive DTH skin test (induration > 2mm after 48 hrs) against at least one positive control antigen tetanus toxoid.
  • Stable disease or response after chemotherapy.
  • Availability of sufficient tumor material of the patient.
  • Ability to return to the Erasmus MC for adequate follow-up as required by this protocol.
  • Able to tolerate oral therapy
  • No impairment of gastrointestinal (GI) function or GI disease that may affect or alter absorption of CTX (e.g., mal-absorption syndrome, history of total gastrectomy/significant small bowel resection)
  • No history of allergic reactions (≥ grade 3 or 4) to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to CTX (i.e., alkylating agents)
  • No known intolerance or hypersensitivity reaction to CTX

Exclusion criteria:

  • Conditions that make the patient unfit for chemotherapy or progressive disease after 4 cycles of chemotherapy.
  • Pleurodesis at the affected side before the pleural fluid is obtained.
  • Medical or psychological impediment to probable compliance with the protocol.
  • Patients on steroid (or other immunosuppressive agents) are excluded on the basis of potential immune suppression. Patients must have had 6 weeks of discontinuation and must stop of any such treatment during the time of the study.
  • No prior malignancy is allowed except for adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, superficial or in-situ cancer of the bladder or other cancer for which the patient has been disease-free for five years.
  • Serious concomitant disease, no active infections. Patients with a history of autoimmune disease or organ allografts, or with active acute or chronic infection, including HIV (as determined by ELISA and confirmed by Western Blot) and viral hepatitis (as determined by HBsAg and Hepatitis C serology).
  • Patients with serious intercurrent chronic or acute illness such as pulmonary (asthma or COPD) or cardiac (NYHA class III or IV) or hepatic disease or other illness considered by the study coordinator to constitute an unwarranted high risk for investigational DC treatment.
  • Patients with a known allergy to shell fish (may contain KLH).
  • Pregnant or lactating women.
  • Patients with inadequate peripheral vein access to perform leukapheresis
  • Concomitant participation in another clinical trial
  • An organic brain syndrome or other significant psychiatric abnormality which would comprise the ability to give informed consent, and preclude participation in the full protocol and follow-up.
  • Absence of assurance of compliance with the protocol. Lack of availability for follow-up assessment.

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: DC immunotherapy + CTX
Patients with mesothelioma who are fit enough to be treated with chemotherapy and enough tumor material was available are asked for participation in this study. After 4 cycles of Alimta chemotherapy, a leukapheresis is performed of which the monocytes are used for differentiation to DCs using different cytokines. The procedure to grow DCs in vitro and pulse them with tumor lysate is performed according to our earlier performed phase I study that was approved by our local ethics committee. Three doses of properly pulsed autologous DCs (MesoCancerVac) are then re-injected every two weeks. Patients will be treated with a low dose of CTX for seven day in a row the week before the 1st vaccination, the weeks in between the 2nd, and for one week after the 3rd vaccination.
Biological: DC + CTX
3x 50x10e6 DC + cyclophosphamide
Other Names:
  • Endoxan

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
number of cytotoxic T cells and regulatory T cells in the blood of patients
Time Frame: up to 1 year
2 weeks before, inbetween (2-weekly, 3 times) and 2 weeks after DC treatment, 7 ml blood samples are collected.
up to 1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
safety and toxicity
Time Frame: up to 2 years
up to 2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Erasmus Medical Center

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Joachim Aerts, PhD MD, Erasmus Medical Center

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

October 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 1, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 15, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

November 16, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 27, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 26, 2014

Last Verified

February 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NL24050.000.08

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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