A Pilot Study of Tumor Vaccination and R-hIL-7 Following Standard Multimodality Therapy in Patients With High Risk Pediatric Solid Tumors
Inclusion Criteria
- INCLUSION CRITERIA: for Apheresis/Tumor biopsy portion of the trial:
A. Diagnosis
- rhabdomyosarcoma: embryonal or alveolar.
- Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT), which include: classical, atypical and
extraosseous ESFT, peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors, peripheral
neuroepithelioma, primitive sarcoma of bone, and ectomesenchymoma.
- neuroblastoma: may be diagnosed via histology or the standard clinical evidence for
increased catecholamines in the urine plus tumor cells in the bone marrow.
- undifferentiated or embryonal sarcoma.
- desmoplastic small round cell tumor.
- synovial cell sarcoma.
B. Extent of Disease/Previous Therapy
- Initial presentation: Stage IV or metastatic disease, enrolled prior to any
cytoreductive therapy.
- Recurrent Disease:
- Patient > 5yo must have recovered CD4 count to > 350 cells/mm(3) OR have disease
free interval > one year from completion of cytotoxic therapy
- Patients < 5yo must have recovered CD4 count to > 350 cells/mm(3) OR have
disease free interval > six months from completion of cytotoxic therapy
- Multiple recurrences are allowable as long as CD4 count or disease-free intervals
have been met.
C. Age/Weight
- greater than 18 mos. and less than or equal to 35 years at the time of initial
diagnosis.
- greater than 10 kg at the time of apheresis. Patients between 10-15 kg must be
approved by the apheresis unit prior to enrollment on protocol.
D. Informed Consent
All patients or their legal guardians (if the patient is less than 18 years old) must sign
a document of informed consent (screening protocol) prior to performing studies to
determine patient eligibility. After confirmation of patient eligibility all patients or
their legal guardians must sign the protocol specific informed consent to document their
understanding of the investigational nature and the risks of this study before any
protocol related studies are performed (other than the studies which were performed to
determine patient eligibility).
E. Laboratory Parameters
- renal function: creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min/1.73m(2) or normal age
adjusted serum creatinine (less than or equal to 5 yrs. less than or equal to 0.8
mg/ml; 5-10 yrs. less than or equal to 1.0 mg/ml; 10-15 yrs. less than or equal to
1.2 mg/ml; greater than 15 yrs. less than or equal to 1.5 mg/ml)
- liver function: AST and ALT less than 2.5 times ULN, bilirubin less than 1.5 ULN
- hematologic function: platelets greater than 50,000 cells/mcl, Hgb greater than 9.0
gms/dl, PT less than 1.5 ULN. Patients may receive transfusion if necessary to reach
the pre-apheresis hematology parameters.
F. Accessibility of Tissue to Generate Tumor Lysates
Patients must have adequate tumor bulk accessible to biopsy in order to generate the tumor
lysate (at least 2 cm diameter). Procedures employed to acquire biopsies for tumor lysates
will be limited to percutaneous biopsies or open biopsies of readily accessible lesions.
Patients should not undergo biopsies, which will later compromise the ability to render
function preserving local therapy (e.g. limb salvage therapy). To prevent this, all bone
biopsies should be performed in consultation with the orthopedic consultant on the case.
For patients with bone marrow involvement, bone marrow aspirates may be used as a source
of tumor for tumor lysates. Patients are not eligible if, in the opinion of the principal
and associate investigators, tumor biopsy would entail extensive surgery such as
thoracotomy or laparotomy, or if the tumor site places the patient at substantial risk
from the biopsy procedure.
NCI Laboratory of Pathology will review all tumor specimens for diagnosis.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA: for Apheresis/Tumor biopsy portion of the trial:
A. Other conditions
- Clinically significant unrelated systemic illness, such as serious infections,
autoimmunity or organ dysfunction, which in the judgment of the Principal or
Associate Investigators would compromise the patient's ability to tolerate the
investigational agents or are likely to interfere with the study procedures or
results.
- Previous allogeneic stem cell or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.
- Conditions related to tumor, which require emergency treatment (airway compression,
spinal cord compression) since enrollment would delay initiation of such therapy.
- Women who are pregnant or lactating.
- Corticosteroids initiated at the time of tumor diagnosis or recurrence for treatment
of nerve compression or other symptoms is permitted during this phase of the trial,
but will not be permitted during the immunotherapy phase, with the exception of a
self limited course of steroids as described in Section 2.1.4.A.
- Patients with a history of CNS metastases from cancer are not excluded provided that
the metastatic CNS disease has been effectively treated and there is no evidence of
active CNS disease as evidenced by stable clinical findings and stable radiographic
findings for a period of 6 weeks.
- Patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C due
to confounding effects on immune system.
INCLUSION CRITERIA: for Immunotherapy portion of the trial:
A. Informed Consent
Because significant time will have elapsed between apheresis/tumor biopsy and the
initiation of immunotherapy, all patients or their legal guardians (if the patient is less
than 18 years old) must sign a second informed consent to document their understanding of
the investigational nature and the risks of this study before any protocol related studies
are performed (other than the studies which were performed to determine patient
eligibility).
B. Time and Recovery from Cytotoxic Therapy
At least 3 weeks should have elapsed since the last cycle of cytotoxic therapy or since
the last dose of radiation therapy, at least 4 weeks must have elapsed since the patient
has received any investigational therapy, and patients should have recovered from toxic
side effects of previous therapy to a grade 1 or less, with the exception of the
following:
- Hematological toxicity: recovery to levels required in Section 2.1.1.E.
- Low electrolyte levels (Such individuals should receive appropriate supplementation).
- For patients on anticoagulant therapy or with pre-existing coagulation abnormalities,
PT, PTT must return to baseline.
- Liver function tests must resolve to values required in Section 2.1.1.E.
- Grade 3 hypoalbuminemia.
- Alopecia.
- Sterility.
C. Laboratory Parameters
- renal function: creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min/1.73m(2) or normal age
adjusted serum creatinine (less than or equal to 5 yrs. less than or equal to 0.8
mg/ml; 5-10 yrs. less than or equal to 1.0 mg/ml; 10-15 yrs. less than or equal to
1.2 mg/ml; greater than 15 yrs. less than or equal to 1.5 mg/ml).
- liver function: AST and ALT less than 2.5 times ULN, bilirubin less than 1.5 ULN.
- hematologic function: ANC greater than 750 cells/mcl, platelets greater than 50,000
cells/mcl.
D. Birth Control
Subjects of childbearing or child-fathering potential must be willing to use a medically
acceptable form of birth control, which includes abstinence, while they are being treated
on this study.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA: for Immunotherapy Portion of the Trial:
A. Other conditions
- Clinically significant unrelated systemic illness, such as serious infections or
organ dysfunction, which in the judgment of the Principal or Associate Investigators
would compromise the patient's ability to tolerate the investigational agents or are
likely to interfere with the study procedures or results.
- Persistent or progressive cancer following the completion of the standard therapy
phase of the trial will not, in and of itself, preclude receipt of immunotherapy.
However, patients will not receive immunotherapy if they have an ECOG performance
status performance status of 3 or 4 or, for children less than or equal to 10 years
of age, Lansky less than or equal to 50 (Appendix III). Furthermore, patients will be
removed from the trial if they develop requirements for anti-neoplastic therapy (e.g.
radiation therapy) for progressive disease during the trial as discussed in protocol.
- Women who are pregnant or lactating.
- Patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C
infection due to confounding effects on immune function.
- Patients who require chronic daily oral corticosteroid or other immunosuppressive
therapy. Topical or inhaled corticosteroids are permitted. Also, a time limited
course of steroids does for an unrelated medical condition (e.g. allergic reaction,
poison ivy) will not preclude receipt of immunotherapy provided that two weeks elapse
between the last dose of systemic corticosteroids and initiation of immunotherapy.
- Patients who are receiving other biologic therapies including cytokines or growth
factors not specified by the protocol. Herbal supplements will not result in
exclusion but should be noted and reviewed with the PI.
- Patients with a history of CNS metastases from cancer are not excluded provided that
the metastatic CNS disease has been effectively treated and there is no evidence of
active CNS disease as evidenced by stable clinical findings and stable radiographic
findings for a period of 6 weeks.
- Excluded from Arm B:
- Patients with history of autoimmune disease (excluding thyroiditis on chronic
thyroid replacement therapy) or active auto-immune disease, due to a risk of
exacerbation of autoimmunity with r-hIL7. Patients with a history of B cell
malignancy due to a risk for growth with rhIL7 therapy.
- QTc prolongation defined as a QTc greater than or equal to 470 ms or a prior
history of cardiovascular disease, arrhythmias, or significant ECG
abnormalities.