Vaccination of Melanoma Patients With Dendritic Cells Loaded With Allogeneic Apoptotic-Necrotic Melanoma Cells

José Mordoh, M.D., Ph.D.

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 1

Conditions

Melanoma

Treatments

Biological: DC/Apo-Nec

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT00515983

4484/04

Details and patient eligibility

About

Background: Sixteen melanoma patients (1 stage IIC, 8 stage III, and 7 stage IV) were treated in a Phase I study to evaluate safety and immune responses, with a vaccine (DC/Apo-Nec) composed of autologous dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with a mixture of apoptotic/necrotic melanoma cell lines (Apo-Nec).

Methods: PBMC were obtained from leukapheresis and DCs were generated from monocytes cultured in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4 in serum-free medium. Immature DCs (iDCs) were loaded with gamma-irradiated Apo-Nec cells and injected id without adjuvant. Cohorts of four patients were given four vaccines with 5, 10, 15, or 20 x106 DC/Apo-Nec per vaccine, two weeks apart.

Results: The vaccine was well tolerated in all patients. Toxicity to vaccine was mild, and the toxicity-limiting dose has not been reached. We found that 42.3 ±13.7 % melanoma patients´ iDCs were able to phagocyte Apo-Nec cells wich induced DCs maturation, as evidenced by increased expression of CD83, CD80, CD86, HLA class I and II compared to iDCs. Also, after phagocytosis, a 75.2 ±16 % reduction in Dextran-FITC endocytosis was observed compared to iDCs. CCR7 was upregulated upon Apo-Nec phagocytosis in DCs from all patients and accordingly in vitro DC/Apo-Nec cells were able to migrate towards MIP-3 beta. The DTH score increased significatively in the patients after the first vaccination and slightly decreased by the fourth vaccine (Mann-Whitney Test, p<0.05). For patient #1 a positive DTH reaction was detected to her own tumor irradiated cells. The presence of CD8+ T lymphocytes specific to gp100 and Melan A/MART-1 Ags were studied by tetramers binding in HLA-A*0201 patients (7 /15 patients) before and after vaccination. Two patients who remain NED increased Ags their specific T lymphocytes after vaccination. No humoral responses to Apo-Nec cells were detected. With a mean follow-up of 44.5 months post-surgery, the stage IIC pt is NED, 7/8 stage III pts are NED and 7/7 stage IV patients have progressed.

Conclussions: We conclude that DC/Apo-Nec vaccine is well tolerated, it induces specific immunity against melanoma Ags and in stage III patients it may prolong disease-free survival, affording protection from relapse in an adjuvant setting.

Enrollment

16 patients

Sex

All

Ages

17 to 60 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

histologically confirmed cutaneous melanoma stages IIB, IIC, III or IV (AJCC)
pts with minimal or non-detectable disease (NED) after surgery as asserted by CAT scans. Melanoma pts with unknown primary tumor site could be included in the study
life expectancy > 6 months
ages:from 15 to 60 years
performance status (ECOG) 0 or 1
pts with stage III disease had to be previously treated with IFN-alpha, and either finished the treatment or suspended it due to disease progression, toxicity or other clinical reasons. Alternatively, those pts who had not started IFN-alpha within six months after surgery could be included in this study
a suitable venous access for the leukapheresis procedure
laboratory eligibility criteria included: hemoglobin > 10 gr %; WBC count > 4800/mm3, platelets > 150.000/mm3, total and direct bilirubin, serum oxalacetic transaminase and glutamic pyruvic transaminase < 1.5 fold the upper normal value; LDH < 450 mU/ml
absence of pregnancy, with serum βHCG determined one week before vaccination in premenopausal women
serum creatinine < 1.4 mg %
no chemotherapy, radiotherapy or any biological treatments during the previous month
no concurrent medication with corticosteroids or NSAIDs
l no active brain metastases m- normal ECG
all pts gave written informed consent before inclusion in the Study.

Exclusion criteria

Ocular melanoma or melanoma of mucosa
Active brain metastases
Other previous carcinoma (with the exeption of cervical or in situ basal cells carcinoma adequately treated)
Pregnant or breast-feeding women
Cardiac Arythmia, severe heart disease.
Bacterial, mycotic or viral serious infections ( > grade 2 according to NCI common toxicity criteria)
HIV, B or C Hepatitis previous infection
Primary or secondary immunodeficiencies
Other diseases that require treatment with regular corticoids or non steroids anti-inflammatory drugs or COX-2 inhibitors