Vaccine impedes the development of reflux-induced esophageal cancer in a surgical rat model: efficacy of the vaccine in a post-Barrett's esophagus setting.
OBJECTIVE
We developed and evaluated a GM-CSF whole-cell tumor vaccine for esophageal cancer.


METHODS
Cell lines derived from surgically induced rat reflux esophageal tumors were passaged in vitro and transfected with GM-CSF. First, the GM-CSF whole cell vaccine was evaluated against subcutaneously transplanted esophageal tumor cells. In a subsequent study, the vaccine was tested to see if it could reduce the incidence of cancer in the surgical reflux model.


RESULTS
While subcutaneously transplanted tumor cells produced lasting tumors in PBS non-vaccinated placebo rats, transplanted tumors regressed and were immunologically rejected in animals vaccinated prior to implantation. In the surgical reflux model, the vaccine reduced the incidence of cancer from 17/23 (74%) in the controls to 6/16 (38%) in the vaccinated animals (P = 0.046).


CONCLUSIONS
The GM-CSF whole cell tumor vaccine effectively promoted a strong immune response against subcutaneously transplanted tumors and protected animals from developing esophageal cancer in the reflux model.
Miyashita
Tomoharu
T
Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Shah
Furhawn A
FA
Marti
Guy P
GP
Armstrong
Todd D
TD
Wang
Jiaai
J
Bonde
Pramod
P
Gibson
Michael K
MK
Yoshimura
Kiyoshi
K
Montgomery
Elizabeth A
EA
Duncan
Mark
M
Jaffee
Elizabeth M
EM
Harmon
John W
JW
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000150:complications*; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004942:Esophagitis, Peptic / Q000150:complications; D004946:Esophagostomy; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014162:Transfection; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor