Vaccines Tested in 'Watch and Wait' CLL Patients

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Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2004 Dec 17; [Epub ahead of print]

A phase I/II trial of oxidized autologous tumor vaccines during

the " watch and wait " phase of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Spaner DE, Hammond C, Mena J, Foden C, Deabreu A.

Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Research Institute,

Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Center, S-116A,

Research Building, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada, M4N 3M5.

Based upon their activity in patients with advanced stage chronic

lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a phase I/II study was designed to

evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of autologous vaccines

made from oxidized tumor cells in patients with earlier stage CLL,

and to determine an optimal schedule of injections.

Eighteen patients (at risk for disease progression and with white

blood cell counts between 15 and 100x10(6) cells/ml) were injected

intramuscularly with 10 ml of oxidized autologous blood (composed

mainly of CLL cells) either 12 times over 6 weeks (group 1), 12 times

over 16 days (group 2), or 4 times over 6 weeks (group 3).

Fourteen out of eighteen patients had Rai stage 0-II disease, while

4/18 had stage III-IV disease but did not require conventional

treatment.

Partial clinical responses, associated with enhanced anti-tumor T

cell activity in vitro, were observed in 5/18 patients of whom three

were in group 2. Stable disease was observed in six patients while

disease progression appeared not to be affected in the remaining

patients. Toxicity was minimal.

Vaccination with oxidized autologous tumor cells appears worthy of

further investigation and may be a potential alternative to a " watch

and wait " strategy for selected CLL patients.

PMID: 15605259 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]