NSU-MD Faculty Articles

Immunological and clinical responses in metastatic renal cancer patients vaccinated with tumor RNA-transfected dendritic cells.

Publication Title

Cancer research

Publisher

American Association for Cancer Research

ISSN

0008-5472

Publication Date

5-1-2003

Keywords

Cancer Vaccines, Carcinoma, Renal Cell, DNA-Binding Proteins, Dendritic Cells, Female, Humans, Immunotherapy, Adoptive, Kidney Neoplasms, Male, RNA, Neoplasm, T-Lymphocytes, Telomerase, Transfection

Abstract

Autologous dendritic cells transfected with total renal tumor RNA have been shown to be potent stimulators of CTLs and antitumor immunity in vitro. A Phase I trial was conducted to evaluate this strategy for feasibility, safety, and efficacy to induce tumor-specific T-cell responses in subjects with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Renal tumor RNA-transfected dendritic cells were administered to 10 evaluable study patients with no evidence of dose-limiting toxicity or vaccine-related adverse effects including autoimmunity. In six of seven evaluable subjects, expansion of tumor-specific T cells was detected after immunization. The vaccine-induced T-cell reactivities were directed against a broad set of renal tumor-associated antigens, including telomerase reverse transcriptase, G250, and oncofetal antigen, but not against self-antigens expressed by normal renal tissues. Although most patients underwent secondary therapies after vaccination, tumor-related mortality of the study subjects was unexpectedly low with only 3 of 10 patients dying from disease after a mean follow-up of 19.8 months. These data provide a scientific rationale for continued clinical investigation of this polyvalent vaccine strategy in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma and, potentially, other cancers.

Volume

63

Issue

9

First Page

2127

Last Page

2133

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Link to Full Text
Peer Reviewed

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