Ex vivo ras peptide vaccination in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: Results of a phase I/II study

• Published in: International journal of cancer Vol. 65; no. 4; pp. 450 - 453
• Main Authors: Gjertsen, Marianne K., Bakka, Arne, Breivik, Jarle, Saeterdal, Ingvil, Gedde‐Dahl, Tobias, Stokke, Kjell T., Solheim, Bjarte G., Egge, Tor S., Søreide, Odd, Thorsby, Erik, Gaudernack, Gustav
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 08.02.1996; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Amino Acid Sequence; Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Humans; Immunotherapy; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; Pancreatic Neoplasms - immunology; Pancreatic Neoplasms - therapy; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pilot Projects; ras Proteins - immunology; Vaccination; Vaccines, Synthetic - immunology; Adenocarcinoma; Human; Immune response; Peptides; Toxicity; Vaccine; Malignant tumor; Active immunization; Treatment; Ex vivo; Immunotherapy; T-Lymphocyte; Digestive diseases; Advanced stage; Mutation; Pancreas; Protooncogene; Pancreatic disease
• ISSN: 0020-7136; 1097-0215
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0215(19960208)65:4<450::AID-IJC10>3.0.CO;2-E

In a pilot phase I/II study we have tested synthetic ras peptides used as a cancer vaccine in 5 patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma. The treatment principle used was based on loading professional antigen‐presenting cells (APCs) from peripheral blood with a synthetic ras peptide corresponding to the ras mutation found in tumour tissue from the patient. Peptide loading was performed ex vivo and the next day APCs were re‐injected into the patients after washing to remove unbound peptide. Patients were vaccinated in the first and second week and thereafter every 4–6 weeks. In 2 of the 5 patients treated, an immune response against the immunising ras peptide could be induced. None of the patients showed evidence of a T‐cell response against any of the ras peptides before vaccination. The treatment was well tolerated and could be repeated multiple times in the same patient. Side effects were not observed even if an immunological response against the ras peptide was evident. We conclude that ras peptide vaccination according to the present protocol is safe and may result in a potentially beneficial immune response even in patients with advanced malignant disease. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.