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Dendritic cell therapy in combination with interferon‐α for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma
Author(s) -
Tatsugami Katsunori,
Eto Masatoshi,
Harano Masahiko,
Hamaguchi Masumitsu,
Miyamoto Toshihiro,
Morisaki Takashi,
Furue Masutaka,
Akashi Koichi,
Naito Seiji
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of urology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1442-2042
pISSN - 0919-8172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-2042.2008.02088.x
Subject(s) - medicine , renal cell carcinoma , immunotherapy , dendritic cell , vaccination , alpha interferon , progressive disease , gastroenterology , immunization , cytokine , interferon , disease , immunology , antibody , immune system , cancer
Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of dendritic cell (DC) therapy in combination with interferon‐α (IFN‐α) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Methods: Seven patients, with progressive disease following IFN‐α and interleukin (IL)‐2 treatment, were treated with monocyte‐derived DC (Mo‐DC) and IFN‐α between February 2004 and September 2006. They received Mo‐DC once a week for 5 weeks and then every 2 weeks either intradermally or intratumorally. IFN‐α (5–6 million U) was subcutaneously administered three times a week. Tumor size was evaluated by computed tomography scans before and after the 5th and 10th DC vaccination. A delayed‐type hypersensitivity test was performed after the 4th and 5th DC administration for immunological monitoring. Results: Five patients had stable disease while the remaining two patients had progressive disease following 4 months of vaccination. In six patients the time to progression was prolonged in comparison with the previous cytokine treatment. Six patients showed delayed‐type hypersensitivity after the 4th or 5th immunization. Three patients developed high fever following DC immunization. Treatment was associated with transient flu‐like symptoms. Conclusions: Our data indicate that DC therapy combined with IFN‐α is safe and has the potential for prolonging the time to progression in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.