Dendritic Cell Vaccine Study Shows Promise in Helping Immune System Combat Cancer.(Brief Article)

2001 FEB 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

Scientists at the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, have found that a dendritic cell "vaccine" was able to elicit a systemic immune response while directing tumor-fighting T cells to the site of a brain tumor.

The treatment resulted in extended lengths of survival for patients suffering from highly aggressive, malignant brain tumors called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM or glioma).

Results of the Phase I study were published in the February 1, 2001, issue of Cancer Research, and a larger Phase II study is currently underway.

"Although this first study was conducted with a small number of patients, the results greatly exceeded our expectations," said Keith L. Black, MD, director of the Institute and the study's lead investigator. "Malignant gliomas are very [fatal] tumors. Even with aggressive therapy, including surgical resection followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy, the median length of survival is less than one year. But the median survival for patients who were given the dendritic cell vaccine was extended significantly."

In fact, according to the paper, median length of survival for patients in the study was 455 days, compared with 257 days for the control group that consisted of patients with similar characteristics related to age, gender, tumor removal, and treatment. The control group was made up of patients who either were treated at Cedars-Sinai within a two-year period before the vaccine became available or were treated at the hospital while the study was taking place but chose not to participate. The same surgeons were involved with both groups of patients.

"Obviously, we cannot offer a cure for these devastating cancers at this point, but the results of this early study are very encouraging," said Black. "We see evidence that we are moving in the right direction, and additional studies will be conducted to target the tumor cells even more effectively. This is only a start but it is a promising start with visible results."