What side effects are associated with this type of intervention?

Common side effects of treatments for neuroectodermal tumors, particularly those involving tumor-specific immune cells and dendritic cell vaccines, include fatigue, fever, chills, and injection site reactions. More severe side effects can involve autoimmune reactions such as colitis, pneumonitis, hepatitis, and endocrinopathies, where the immune system mistakenly attacks normal tissues.

What prior FDA approvals exist?

The FDA has approved several immunotherapy treatments for various cancers, including neuroectodermal tumors. One notable example is the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors like pembrolizumab, which targets the PD-1 pathway to enhance the immune response against cancer cells. Additionally, dendritic cell vaccines, which are designed to stimulate the patient's immune system to attack tumor cells, are being actively studied. These approaches aim to directly target cancer cells while boosting the body's immune response, similar to the investigational therapies involving tumor-specific immune cells and dendritic cell vaccines.

What other types of research exist?

Promising novel alternatives for treating neuroectodermal tumors include: 1) PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors such as nivolumab and pembrolizumab, which have shown efficacy in various cancers by enhancing the immune response against tumor cells. 2) mTORC1 inhibitors like everolimus, which have demonstrated potential in suppressing tumor growth. 3) Antiangiogenic therapies such as bevacizumab, which target the blood vessels supplying the tumor, thereby inhibiting its growth. These therapies represent advanced approaches that could be considered for neuroectodermal tumor patients in 2024.

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Cancer Vaccine

Vaccine Immunotherapy for Pediatric Brain Cancer (Re-MATCH Trial)

Phase 2

Waitlist Available

Led By Duane Mitchell, MD, PhD

Research Sponsored by University of Florida

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Be younger than 65 years old

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up baseline compared to 6 weeks post vaccine #1 and longitudinal measures through overall survival (up to 60 months)

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial uses special immune cells and vaccines made from the patient's tumor to treat children with recurring brain tumors. The goal is to help their immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells, offering a new option for those who do not respond well to traditional treatments.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for children and young adults up to 30 years old with a first recurrence of medulloblastoma or primitive neuroectodermal tumors after radiotherapy. Participants need stable neurological function, adequate blood counts, normal kidney and liver function, and must agree to use birth control. Those with genetic risks for radiation-induced cancers are also eligible.

What is being tested?

The study tests tumor-specific immune cells (TTRNA-xALT) and dendritic cell vaccines (TTRNA-DCs) on about 35 patients with recurrent brain tumors. It aims to see how these immunotherapies affect the tumor's progression based on prior success in adult cancer treatments.

What are the potential side effects?

While specific side effects aren't listed here, immunotherapy can generally cause flu-like symptoms, fatigue, rash, fever, chills, weakness or dizziness. More serious reactions might include changes in blood pressure or heart rate.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ baseline compared to 6 weeks post vaccine #1 and longitudinal measures through overall survival (up to 60 months)

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~baseline compared to 6 weeks post vaccine #1 and longitudinal measures through overall survival (up to 60 months)

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and baseline compared to 6 weeks post vaccine #1 and longitudinal measures through overall survival (up to 60 months) for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

12 Month Progression-free Survival (PFS-12)

Secondary study objectives

Characterize Immunologic Phenotype of Lymphocyte Subsets and NK Cells

Correlate Magnitude and Persistence of Anti-tumor Humoral or Cellular Immunity With Clinical Outcome

Determine of Overall Survival Rate

+2 more

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Group BExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

NMA Salvage chemotherapy plus peripheral blood stem cell transplant followed by TTRNA-xALT and TTRNA-DCs.

Group II: Group AExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

High dose chemotherapy plus peripheral blood stem cell transplant followed by TTRNA-xALT and TTRNA-DCs.

Do I qualify?Apply below to find out

Research Highlights

Information in this section is not a recommendation. We encourage patients to speak with their healthcare team when evaluating any treatment decision.

Mechanism Of Action

Side Effect Profile

Prior Approvals

Other Research

The most common treatments for Neuroectodermal Tumors, such as tumor-specific immune cells and dendritic cell vaccines, work by directly targeting cancer cells and enhancing the body's immune response. Tumor-specific immune cells, like CAR T-cells, are engineered to recognize and attack cancer cells, thereby reducing tumor size. Dendritic cell vaccines, on the other hand, stimulate the patient's immune system by presenting tumor antigens to T-cells, which then mount a targeted attack against the tumor. These mechanisms are crucial for Neuroectodermal Tumor patients as they offer a more precise and potentially less toxic alternative to traditional therapies, improving the chances of effective treatment and reducing side effects.

Once, Twice, Three Times a Finding: Reproducibility of Dendritic Cell Vaccine Trials Targeting Cytomegalovirus in Glioblastoma.Immunotherapy for Medulloblastoma: Current Perspectives.New anticancer immunotherapies.