title: Hybrid cell vaccination for cancer immune therapy: first clinical trial with metastatic melanoma.
abstract: Hybrid cell vaccination is a new cancer immune therapy approach that aims at recruiting T cell help for the induction of tumour specific cytolytic immunity. The vaccines are generated by fusion of the patients' tumour cells with allogeneic MHC class II bearing cells to combine the tumour's antigenicity with the immunogenicity of allogeneic MHC molecules. Safety and anti-tumour activity of this treatment were assessed in a clinical trial that has yielded one complete and one partial remission, and 5 cases of stable disease among 16 patients with advanced stage metastatic melanoma. As evidenced by histology, the vaccination induced T cell relocation into tumour nodules. Stable disease could be maintained by repeated booster injections for more than 24 months in some patients. The side effects were minor. Occasional occurrences of vitiligo spots after vaccination were indicative of a restricted therapy induced auto-immune reactivity. The results suggest that hybrid cell vaccination is a safe cancer immune therapy potentially effective for induction of acute anti-tumour response as well as long-term maintenance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Medical Faculty Charité, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Trefzer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weingart
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Herberth
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Adrian
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Audring
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sterry
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Walden
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006681:HLA-D Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006822:Hybrid Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012449:Safety; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D006681:HLA-D Antigens