Dillman et al. summarized manufacturing success and 5 year survival data for two trials – 72 melanoma patients with recurrent stage III to measurable stage IV disease vaccinated with autologous dendritic cells loaded with irradiated cells from short-term autologous tumor cell lines and admixed with GM-CSF. The trials were conducted prior to CPI approval, although a small number of patients received CPI, almost exclusively post-vaccine. Treatment was well tolerated and median survival was 49.4 months, with a 5-year survival rate of 46%. Survival varied by disease stage at entry and compared favorably to the best stage-matched historical data.
Contributed by Katherine Turner
Aim: Metastatic melanoma patients were treated with patient-specific vaccines consisting of autologous dendritic cells loaded with antigens from irradiated cells from short-term autologous tumor cell lines. Patients & methods: A total of 72 patients were enrolled in a single-arm Phase I/II (NCT00948480) trial or a randomized Phase II (NCT00436930). Results: Toxicity was minimal. Median overall survival (OS) was 49.4 months; 5-year OS 46%. A 5-year OS was 72% for 18 recurrent stage 3 without measurable disease when treated and 53% for 30 stage 4 without measurable disease when treated. A total of 24 patients with measurable stage 4 when treated (median of four prior therapies) had an 18.5 months median OS and 46% 2-year OS. Conclusion: This dendritic cell vaccine was associated with encouraging survival in all three clinical subsets. Clinicaltrial.gov NCT00436930 and NCT00948480.
Author Info: (1) AIVITA Biomedical, Inc., Irvine, CA 92612, USA. Hoag Cancer Institute, Newport Beach, CA 92658, USA. University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. (2) TCR Therapeutics, Camb
Author Info: (1) AIVITA Biomedical, Inc., Irvine, CA 92612, USA. Hoag Cancer Institute, Newport Beach, CA 92658, USA. University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. (2) TCR Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. (3) California Cancer Associates for Research & Excellence (cCARE), Institute for Melanoma Research & Education, Encinitas, CA 92024, USA. (4) Hoag Cancer Institute, Newport Beach, CA 92658, USA.
