Phase I Combining Decitabine and Vaccine Therapy for Patients With Relapsed Neuroblastoma and Sarcoma
Project Title: Phase I Combining Decitabine and Vaccine Therapy for Patients With Relapsed
Neuroblastoma and Sarcoma
Researcher: Kenneth Lucas, MD
Institution: Kosair Hospital, Louisville KY
Study Type: Phase I clinical trial
Project Summary
In this study, blood was collected from the children, and immune cells called dendritic cells were isolated and exposed to CT (cancer testes) antigens. This “primed” the immune system to kill cells with those targets when reinfused into the patient in multiple doses. The cancer drug decitabine has also been used to make the expression of the markers (CT antigens) more pronounced on the cancer cells so that the immune cells can better recognize and kill the tumor cells.
Impact
The first child treated had a complete response (published in the journal Pediatrics in
January 2013), and there were three other positive responses from children with neuroblastoma. In addition, the adaptive-designed trial allowed amendments to improve the study, including lymphodepletion and an immune adjuvant.