Conditions: Lymphoma
Keywords: recurrent mantle cell lymphoma contiguous stage II mantle cell lymphoma noncontiguous stage II mantle cell lymphoma stage III mantle cell lymphoma stage IV mantle cell lymphoma
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 43
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
RATIONALE: Vaccines made from gene-modified cells and a person's cancer cells may make the body build an effective immune response to kill cancer cells. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) may stimulate the white blood cells to kill cancer cells. Giving booster vaccinations may make a stronger immune response and prevent or delay the recurrence of cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more cancer cells. Giving vaccine therapy together with IL-2 after combination chemotherapy may be a more effective treatment for mantle cell lymphoma.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving vaccine therapy together with IL-2 after combination chemotherapy works in treating patients with relapsed or de novo stage II, stage III, or stage IV mantle cell lymphoma.

Detailed description:
Patients were treated with 3-6 cycles of chemotherapy +/- rituximab, with type and duration at the discretion of the individual clinician. Evaluation for response was performed 1 month after completing chemotherapy, and included computed tomography (CT) scan, bone marrow biopsy, endoscopy, and colonoscopy. Minimal residual disease (MRD) was assessed qualitatively on bone marrow specimens using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with standardized primers for evaluation for B-cell receptor gene rearrangement. Responses were defined according to revised Cheson criteria. Patients with successful lymph node harvest who had obtained complete or partial response could proceed to bystander vaccination.

The GM.CD40L bystander vaccine administered intradermally into the bilateral axillary and inguinal nodal basins via eight separate injections (0.125 ml / injection). Low dose IL-2 (0.5 x 10\^6 units) was given subcutaneously twice daily for 14 days following vaccination. Patients were restaged with CT and/or CT/PET and bone marrow biopsy every 6 months, beginning from the last date of chemotherapy. Follow-up bone marrow biopsy evaluation included an assessment for MRD as described above. Patients without disease progression or toxicity attributable to the vaccine were eligible for 4 monthly booster vaccines at 12 months and 24 months.

Arms:
arm 1: Patients were treated with 3-6 cycles of chemotherapy +/- rituximab, with type and duration at the discretion of the individual clinician.

Chemotherapy: 6 courses of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) OR 3 courses of hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone alternating with high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine (hyper-CVAD) for patients who have relapsed after CHOP.

Patients who achieve a partial or complete response after completion of chemotherapy proceed to autologous tumor cell-based vaccine therapy.

Patients who have stable or responding disease at 12 months receive 4 additional courses of booster vaccine and low-dose IL-2.

Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Interventions: intervention 1: Cyclophosphamide intervention 2: Doxorubicin intervention 3: Vincristine intervention 4: Prednisone intervention 5: Dexamethasone intervention 6: Autologous Tumor Cell-Based Vaccine intervention 7: IL-2
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Participants receive conventional chemotherapy comprising 6 courses of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) OR 3 courses of hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone alternating with high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine (hyper-CVAD) for patients who have relapsed after CHOP. intervention 2: Participants receive conventional chemotherapy comprising 6 courses of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) OR 3 courses of hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone alternating with high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine (hyper-CVAD) for patients who have relapsed after CHOP. intervention 3: Participants receive conventional chemotherapy comprising 6 courses of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) OR 3 courses of hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone alternating with high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine (hyper-CVAD) for patients who have relapsed after CHOP. intervention 4: Participants receive conventional chemotherapy comprising 6 courses of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) OR 3 courses of hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone alternating with high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine (hyper-CVAD) for patients who have relapsed after CHOP. intervention 5: Participants receive conventional chemotherapy comprising 6 courses of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) OR 3 courses of hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone alternating with high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine (hyper-CVAD) for patients who have relapsed after CHOP. intervention 6: Participants receive vaccine comprising autologous tumor cells and GM.CD40L intradermally on day 1 and low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) subcutaneously twice daily on days 1-14. Treatment repeats every 28 days for 4 courses. Patients who have stable or responding disease at 12 months receive 4 additional courses of booster vaccine and low-dose IL-2 as above. intervention 7: Participants receive vaccine comprising autologous tumor cells and GM.CD40L intradermally on day 1 and low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) subcutaneously twice daily on days 1-14. Treatment repeats every 28 days for 4 courses. Patients who have stable or responding disease at 12 months receive 4 additional courses of booster vaccine and low-dose IL-2 as above.

Protocol document: