Results of a phase I clinical study using dendritic cell vaccinations for thyroid cancer.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the feasibility and efficacy of dendritic cell (DC) therapy for advanced thyroid papillary and follicular cancer.


METHODS
Six Japanese patients (2 men and 4 women; aged 46-72 years, mean 60 years), who were diagnosed as advanced thyroid cancer with refractory distant metastases (papillary, n=5; follicular, n=1), were enrolled. Patients were first vaccinated weekly for 4 weeks with 10(7) autologous tumor lysate-pulsed monocyte-derived mature DCs followed by fortnightly vaccinations for 8 weeks (total=8 vaccinations). Lowdose (350 KIU) interleukin-2 was also administered for 3 days at each vaccination. Clinical response, adverse effects, delayed-type hypersensitivity skin testing (DTH), and IFN-( ) production by peripheral CD3(+) lymphocytes were evaluated.


RESULTS
Of the 6 patients, disease was assessed as stable in 2 and as progressive in 4. No adverse events were observed. Results of DTH and IFN-( ) production in peripheral lymphocytes did not correlate to the clinical response.


CONCLUSIONS
DC immunotherapy could be administered to patients with thyroid papillary or follicular cancer without substantial side effects.
Kuwabara
Koichiro
K
Department of Advanced Medical Science, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Nishishita
Toshihide
T
Morishita
Mariko
M
Oyaizu
Naoki
N
Yamashita
Shunichi
S
Kanematsu
Takashi
T
Obara
Takao
T
Mimura
Yoshikazu
Y
Inoue
Yusuke
Y
Kaminishi
Michio
M
Kaga
Kimitaka
K
Amino
Nobuyuki
N
Kitaoka
Masafumi
M
Ito
Koichi
K
Miyauchi
Akira
A
Noguchi
Shiro
S
Uchimaru
Kaoru
K
Akagawa
Eiji
E
Watanabe
Nobukazu
N
Takahashi
Tsuneo A
TA
Sato
Kaori
K
Inazawa
Takeshi
T
Nakaoka
Takashi
T
Yamashita
Naohide
N
D000368:Aged; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D018265:Carcinoma, Papillary, Follicular / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D019496:Cancer Vaccines