Vaccination of cancer patients using tumor-associated antigens mixed with interleukin-2 and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor

Abstract

A breast cancer vaccine which comprises a mixture of tumor associated antigens (TAA) with low doses of recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A number of attempts to vaccinate cancer patients with tumor cells or "tumor-associated antigenic" material obtained from the cells have yielded some positive, but largely equivocal results (1-11). A major limitation of the earlier vaccine studies was that the investigations had no immunological assay available to monitor whether they were, in fact, effectively immunizing the patients against tumor associated antigens TAA with the vaccination procedures used. The Applicants routinely use a lymphocyte-mediated lymphocyte blastogenesis assay (12) with TAA as the stimulant to determine whether the patient has had a sufficient immunological response.

Most of the published studies related to the vaccination of patients against tumors have presented the use of adjuvants such as BCG, DETOX, and viral oncolysates, alum, and complete Freund's adjuvant (1, 3, 5-9, 11) to attempt to enhance immunity against the tumor. Other studies have attempted to use high doses of lymphokine/cytokine agents including interleukin-2 IL-2 (13, 15-18) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor GM-CSF (14) to treat patients with various types of cancer, including renal carcinoma (14-18), colorectal and lung carcinoma (16), and melanoma (14). These studies too, have demonstrated negative, or at best weakly positive, results. Varying degrees of toxicity have been associated with the use of extended high doses (one million IU or greater) of IL-2 or GM-CSF therapy, because high dose levels of these agents have been administered to the patients over extended periods of time, ranging from weeks to months. Toxic reactions have included death, renal failure, and many of the WHO Toxicity criteria such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, depression, and fevers.

There are no published reports of the treatment of cancer patients with a process in which TAA is mixed with low doses (one-tenth as the Applicants do with GM-CSF or one ten-thousandth as the Applicants do with IL-2) of lymphokine/cytokine agents. There is similarly no teaching that the patients may first have undergone intense immunmodulatory chemotherapy one to three weeks prior to vaccination, or that the patient may receive a non-specific lymphocyte stimulator, such as Prozac.TM. (Hailey, Ward, McCoy, et al.: unpublished results), concurrently with the vaccine. The Applicants of the present invention have combined the use of autologous or allogeneic TAA mixed with low doses of IL-2 and GM-CSF in patients, who have or have not been treated with immunomodulatory (Haily, Ward, McCoy, et al.: unpublished results) and antineoplastic agents (e.g., cisplatin-transferrin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,001, Platinum bound to transferrin for use in treatment of breast cancer) within one to three weeks of vaccination and have, also, concurrently been treated with an oral non-specific lymphocyte stimulator (e.g., Prozac.TM., generically known as fluoxetine).

Tumor cell surface membrane antigen preparations obtained following hypotonic saline extraction (19) have been shown to be antigenic in inducing delayed type hypersensitivity reactions (19) in autologous cancer patients and inducing in vitro lymphocyte mediated immunity (12) using autologous or allogeneic lymphocytes from cancer patients. Thus, the results indicate that human cancers possess TAAs and the cancer-bearing host attempts to elicit a lymphocyte mediated response against the tumor. Recently, the Applicants have reported that breast cancer patients who have demonstrable lymphocyte immunity against TAA are at a very low risk of disease recurrence, suggesting that lymphocyte immunity against TAA is in some ways retarding or eliminating the growth of the tumor in those patients.

Various embodiments of the cancer vaccination process of the present invention take advantage of several factors that the inventors have found to be important in development of an immune response against foreign antigens (such as TAA). These factors include use of GM-CSF to stimulate monocytes that are vital in antigen processing and antigen presentation to lymphocytes; use of IL-2 to stimulate clonal expansion of T-lymphocytes; priming of the patient's immune system prior to vaccination with chemotherapeutic, anti-neoplastic agents, such as cis-Dichlorodiammineplatinum (II) transferrin (cisplatin-transferrin) to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation; and treatment of the patient with an oral lymphocyte proliferative stimulator such as the anti-depressant fluoxetine (Prozac.TM.). The combination of these agents and their use in the vaccination process optimizes potential development of lymphocyte immunity against tumor. The administration of the vaccine intradermally into the groin area where inguinal and mesentery lymph node drainage can occur promotes infiltration of lymphocytes and monocytes into the injection site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A novel vaccination process has been devised for the immunological treatment of cancer patients. The unique characteristics of this new vaccination process that makes it so attractive are 1) the priming and non-specific stimulation of the lymphocyte system's competence prior to vaccination with an anti-cancer agent, such as cisplatin-transferrin; 2) the recruited and rapid stimulation of monocytes or macrophages by low dose GM-CSF at the vaccination site that also has in its presence TAA, where antigen processing and presentation to lymphocytes can occur; 3) the IL-2 stimulation of TAA sensitized T-lymphocytes at the vaccination site to clonally expand following their sensitization by TAA; 4) the use of an oral non-specific lymphocyte proliferation stimulator concurrently and subsequent to vaccination; 5) the use of the groin area for vaccination where draining lymph nodes from the inguinal and mesenteric areas can infiltrate rapidly; 6) the potential usefulness of the developed lymphocyte immunity against TAA in growth control or eradication of occult or evident metastatic cancer cells; 7) the lack of any toxicity (because of the low dose and only three weekly injections of the IL-2 and GM-CSF that the Applicants use) of GM-CSF and IL-2 that is usually associated with the use of these agents in the treatment of cancer patients; and importantly, 8) the availability of a laboratory test (12) to monitor whether the Applicants have effectively immunized the patient against TAA by the vaccination process.

TAA is prepared from allogeneic or autologous cancer cells using a hypotonic saline extraction procedure to remove the cell membranes containing TAA. These TAA preparations are mixed with a low dose of GM-CFS (generally one million units) and a low does of IL-2 (generally ten thousand IUs) and injected intradermally into the groin area of patients who have usually been pre-treated with the lymphocyte stimulator and the anticancer agent cisplatin-transferrin, and who usually receive the lymphocyte proliferation stimulator Prozac.TM. orally concurrent with the vaccination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the method of hypotonic extraction of TAA in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a formulation of an embodiment of the vaccine of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a protocol of one embodiment of the vaccination method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The details of the hypotonic extraction preparation of the TAA from cancer cell membranes are presented in FIG. 1. This extraction procedure gently extracts TAA from the cancer cells by carefully reducing the NaCl concentration of the extraction medium from 0.9% (physiological) to 0.11%, leaving cells intact and still containing potential antigen destructive enzymes and other material. The resulting TAA preparation has been shown to be immunologically reactive with autologous lymphocytes from cancer patients in in vitro tests (12) and to induce delayed hypersensitivity skin reactions (19) in autologous and allogeneic cancer patients.

The "Vaccine" is usually customized for an individual patient; that is, the autologous or allogeneic TAA is mixed with one million colony forming units of GM-CFS and with ten thousand IUs of IL-2 (see FIG. 2 for details of the formulation of the vaccine). A number of other commercially available cancer antigens can also be used in the "Vaccine" in addition to TAA, including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA 15-3, CA 125, CA 19-9 and prostrate specific antigen (PSA). The use of these cancer antigens may be used in concert with autologous or allogeneic TAA.

The details of the process of the invention are presented in FIG. 3. In a stepwise fashion, the process is as follows:

1. TAA is prepared as outlined in FIG. 1. 2. Patient lymphocytes are tested for reactivity against autologous or allogeneic TAA, or with the above commercially available antigens by the lymphocyte blastogenesis assay using TAA. 3. The patient is usually treated with an anti-cancer drug (e.g., cisplatin-transferrin, cyclophosphamide, or other chemotherapeutic agent) which can also modulate lymphocyte immunity. Two to three weeks later, the vaccination is initiated. 4. The "Vaccine" is prepared as outlined in FIG. 2. A volume of 0.1 ml of autologous or allogeneic TAA or the commercially available cancer antigens is mixed with GM-CSF (one million colony forming units; obtained commercially from Immunex Corporation, Seattle, Wash., e.g.) or IL-2 (ten thousand IUs; obtained commercially from Cetus Corporation, Emoryville, Calif.). 5. The "Vaccine" is injected intradermally into the groin area of the leg. The vaccination process is repeated at weekly intervals two or more times alternating left and right groin areas with each injection. 6. Simultaneously with vaccination process, the patient also receives an oral immunomodulator such as Prozac.TM.. 7. Patient blood lymphocytes are retested for reactivity against TAA by the lymphocyte blastogenesis assay three weeks after vaccination is completed. If the lymphocyte reactivity against TAA is negative following vaccination, the patient receives three weekly boosters of the "Vaccine" and is retested for lymphocyte reactivity against TAA by the lymphocyte blastogenesis assay.

The laboratory results of testing lymphocyte reactivity against TAA, pre- and post-vaccination, are presented in Table 1.

TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________LYMPHOCYTE IMMUNITY TO AUTOLOGOUS ANDALLOGENIC BREAST CANCER TAA PRIOR TOAND FOLLOWING VACCINATION.sup.1 LYMPHOCYTE REACTIVITY TO ALLO-TAA OR AUTO-TAAVACCINATED AUTO-TAA ALLO-TAAPATIENT WITH PRE-VACC. POST-VACC. PRE-VACC. POST VACC.__________________________________________________________________________P. B. ALLO- 1.42 4.08 TAA.sup.2B. F. AUTO-TAA 0.95 3.13 2.58E. G. AUTO-TAA 1.90 2.82 3.10J. G. ALLO-TAA 1.28 2.11M. L. AUTO-TAA 1.23 2.79 2.91 .sup. 3.02.sup.3 .sup. 3.55.sup.3P. M. AUTO-TAA 1.95 3.29 2.55B. N. AUTO-TAA 2.20 1.77 1.61 .sup. 2.10.sup.4 .sup. 3.50.sup.4M. S. AUTO-TAA 1.47 2.11 2.86 .sup. 2.26.sup.4 .sup. 4.42.sup.4D. W. AUTO-TAA 1.15 5.53 3.39T. W. AUTO-TAA 0.93 1.04 1.81__________________________________________________________________________ .sup.1 Vaccinations were given intradermally in alternating groin areas weekly X3. Vaccination consisted of (AutoTAA or AlloTAA) + IL2 + GMCSF. .sup.2 Allo-TAA = allogeneic TAA vaccination; autoTAA = autologous TAA vaccination. .sup.3 Two months after third vaccination. .sup.4 Patient received three booster vaccinations with alloTAA and was then retested.

A total of ten breast cancer patients received the "Vaccine" (FIG. 2) as per the process outlined in FIG. 3. All but two patients (P.B. and J.G., who received allogeneic TAA) were vaccinated with autologous TAA. No patients had immunity against TAA prior to vaccination. Of the ten patients who had depressed immunity against TAA prior to vaccination, six (60%) developed immunity against breast cancer TAA after the three injections with the "Vaccine." Two of these patients (M.S. and B.N.) received a second series of three injections with allogeneic "Vaccine," and both patients demonstrated increased immunity against allogeneic TAA. Patient M.S., who had already developed immunity against allogeneic TAA, became more reactive to allogeneic TAA, and patient B.N. became reactive to allogeneic TAA. This made a total of eight out of ten (80%) patients who were effectively vaccinated to TAA.

Three of the patients (P.B., M.L., and B.F.) who were negative against TAA initially, and then became positive to TAA following vaccination were advanced in their disease prior to vaccination, so that an objective evaluation of the clinical status pre- and post-vaccination could be made. The results are shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2______________________________________CLINICAL STATUS OF BREASTCANCER PATIENTS PRIOR TO ANDFOLLOWING VACCINATIONCLINICAL EVALUATIONS PRE- POST-PATIENT VACCINATION VACCINATION______________________________________P. B. CAT-SCAN SIX WEEKS CAT-SCAN VERIFIED WIDE VERIFIED LIVER SIGNIFICANT METASTASES SHRINKAGE OF LIVER METASTATIC LESIONS TWELVE WEEKS CAT- SCAN VERIFIED ADDITIONAL SHRINKAGE OF LIVER METASTATIC LESIONSM. L. CAT-SCAN SIX WEEKS CAT-SCAN VERIFIED LIVER VERIFIED METASTASES SIGNIFICANT SHRINKAGE OF LIVER METASTATIC LESIONS TWELVE WEEKS CAT- SCAN VERIFIED ALMOST COMPLETE DISAPPEARANCE OF LIVER METASTASESB. F. BILATERAL FOUR WEEKS BIOPSY INFLAMMATORY VERIFIED BREAST CANCER SIGNIFICANT DISEASE REGRESSION______________________________________

Both patients, P.B. and M.L., had verified liver metastases of their breast cancers pre-vaccination. There was major regression of these liver lesions in both patients six and twelve weeks post-vaccination as verified by CAT scans. Patient B.F. had extensive local inflammatory breast cancer prior to vaccination. Clinical observation and surgical biopsy four weeks following vaccination showed significant disease regression of her cancer. All of the remaining seven patients who were vaccinated did not have measurable disease; thus, objective clinical changes in these patients cannot yet be observed.

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Claims

1. A composition comprising 0.1 ml of a suspension containing a human breast cancer tumor associated antigen, one million colony forming units of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, and ten thousand international units of interleukin-2.

2. A breast tumor vaccine comprising:

a suspension of a tumor associated antigen from a human breast tumor;

one million colony forming units of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor; and

ten thousand international units of interleukin 2.

3. The breast tumor vaccine of claim 2 wherein the volume of the vaccine is approximately 0.3 ml.