A Phase II Trial to Assess the Safety, Immunological Activity of TroVax® Plus Pemetrexed/Cisplatin in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Inclusion Criteria:
- Signed and dated written informed consent obtained from the patient in accordance
with the local regulations
- Locally advanced or metastatic, histologically or cytologically proven MPM
- Aged 18 years or over
- WHO performance status 0-1 (Appendix I)
- Life expectancy > 6months
- Haemoglobin ≥ 12 g/dl, total white cell count ≥ 3 x 10^9/L, neutrophil count > 1.5 x
10^9/L, lymphocyte count ≥1 x 10^9/L, monocyte count <0.8 x 10^9/L platelet count
>100 x 10^9/L and <400 x 10^9/L. Blood transfusion is allowed.
- Adequate renal function: Creatinine ≥ 50 mL/min as measured by EDTA or 60mL/min as
measured by the Cockcroft-Gault formula
- Adequate liver function: ALT, AST and bilirubin < 2 times the upper limit of normal
- At least four weeks from any previous therapy including surgery, or radiotherapy
- Able to comply with the protocol
- Women must be either post-menopausal, or rendered surgically sterile or, if of
child-bearing potential, must have a negative pregnancy test prior to trial entry.
Two reliable forms of contraception (oral contraception and a barrier method) must be
used by all participants while they are being treated with the TroVax® vaccine.
Females must continue to use this level of contraception for 3 months following the
last trial treatment, and male patients must continue for 1 month.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Serious infections within the 28 days prior to entry to the trial.
- Prior TroVax® treatment
- Previous chemotherapy for MPM
- Major surgery or radiation therapy completed ≤ 4 weeks prior to enrolment
- Prior radiopharmaceuticals (strontium, samarium) less than 8 weeks prior to enrolment
- Participation in any other clinical trial of a licensed or unlicensed drug within the
previous 30 days
- History of prior malignant disease unless patient has been disease-free for at least
3 years or the tumour was a non-melanoma skin cancer or early cervical cancer
- Autoimmune disease including systemic Lupus Erythematosis, Grave's disease,
Hashimoto's thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus or
systemic (non-joint) manifestations of rheumatoid disease
- Clinical significant cardiac failure or a measured ejection fraction of <40%
- Other severe acute or chronic medical or psychiatric conditions or laboratory
abnormality that may increase the risk associated with study participation or
investigational product administration or may interfere with the interpretation of
study results and, in the judgement of the investigator, would make the patient
inappropriate for entry into this study.
- Chronic corticosteroid use unless prescribed as replacement therapy in the case of
adrenal insufficiency, or other immunosuppressive agents. Dexamethasone is allowed as
part of trial treatment.
- Cerebral metastases
- History of allergic response to previous vaccine vaccinations
- Known allergy to egg proteins
- Known to test positive for HIV or hepatitis B or C
- Pregnancy or lactation
- Prior history of organ transplantation