Trained Immunity in Thyroid Carcinoma and Colon Carcinoma

Radboud University Medical Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Thyroid Cancer, Nonmedullary; Colon Carcinoma

Treatments: Other: no intervention will take place

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05280379

NL79885.091.21

Details and patient eligibility

About

Tumor-related inflammation is one of the hallmarks of cancers in general. Innate immunity specifically is a common denominator which is involved in the pathogenesis of both thyroid carcinoma and colon carcinoma. To improve the patient's outcome and identify novel therapeutic targets, one needs a deeper understanding of the tumor-induced changes in the bone marrow myeloid progenitor cells. Furthermore, treatment of these cells by nanoparticles or other agents that induce a program of 'trained immunity' may be a novel way to re-educate myeloid cells and their bone marrow progenitors in thyroid carcinoma patients. Lastly, the investigators expect that this approach could be effective also in other cancers of which colon carcinoma is here proposed as an additional model.

The investigators hypothesize that by exposing myeloid cells or their progenitors to various agents that induce trained immunity (e.g. high-density-lipoprotein-methylene diphosphonate nanoparticles, recombinant and synthetic cytokines), these immune cells will undergo functional reprogramming to induce a tumor-suppressive phenotype. In the future, this could be explored as a novel immunotherapy for tumors that are refractory to conventional treatment.

Enrollment: 33 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• At least 18 years old and mentally competent
• Newly diagnoses non-medullary thyroid carcinoma or colon carcinoma that is therapy naïve
• Planned to receive conventional treatment for the malignancy by surgery

Exclusion criteria

• Mentally incompetent
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Known inflammation or infectious disease or an immunosuppressive status
• Using medication interfering with the immune system
• Reduced platelets counts or other conditions associated with an increased risk of bleeding
• Severe comorbidities: other active malignancy (except for basal cell carcinoma and other in situ carcinomas)
• Previous anti-cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgical removal or the primary tumor
• Serious psychiatric pathology
• A self-reported alcohol consumption of >21 units per week

Trial design

33 participants in 2 patient groups

Participants with non-medullary thyroid carcinoma

Description:

30 patients with non-medullary thyroid carcinoma, who are going to get surgery

Treatment:

Other: no intervention will take place

Participants with colon carcinoma

Description:

30 participants with colon carcinoma, who are going to get surgery

Treatment:

Other: no intervention will take place