Combining vaccines with radiation therapy to shrink cancerous tumors—Another bold step in advancing immune therapy
Combination cancer therapies can be used to demonstrate anti-tumor immune responses in soft-tissue sarcoma tumors.
Dmitry I. Gabrilovich, MD, PhD
Robert Rothman Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
Head, Section of Dendritic Cell Biology
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
Professor of Oncologic Sciences and Molecular Medicine
University of South Florida
Soft tissue sarcomas are malignant tumors that develop in fat, muscle, nerves and other tissues throughout the body. Dr. Gabrilovich and his team focused on this rare but deadly disease in a Gateway-funded clinical trial designed to study the effect of a combination of radiation therapy and intratumor injections of dendritic cells (DC) to boost the immune system’s functioning. Study participants had large, soft-tissue sarcomas in their extremities and were not candidates for chemotherapy. As part of the study, they received a regimen of radiation therapy (daily doses given five times per week, Monday-Friday) to shrink the tumors. Several hours after the second, third and fourth Friday radiation sessions, patients also received a specialized DC vaccine that engulfed tumor cells and pushed them out of the tumor site into the draining lymph nodes. Four weeks after the last radiation dose and DC administration, patients underwent surgery on their tumors.
The combination treatment was well tolerated and found to be safe. Before the study, none of the 17 participating patients had shown tumor-specific immune responses; with the combination therapy, nine patients developed tumor-specific immune responses which lasted for months. The treatment caused a dramatic accumulation of T cells in the tumor, helping the immune system to fight a cancer that typically has a high risk of recurrence; 12 participants had no disease progression after one year.
Based on these encouraging results, Dr. Gabrilovich’s team has now progressed to a much larger clinical trial to demonstrate anti-tumor immune responses and clinical efficacy. He is confident that these combination therapies can eventually be used to combat a variety of cancers where the tumor is accessible for injections.
“This is a time of great promise in cancer research because we are finding ways to reduce disease recurrence and improve the patient’s survival. Immune therapy is opening up entirely new vistas in our knowledge about abnormal cell activity and how to fight cancer with vaccines.”
Dmitry I. Gabrilovich, MD, PhD
The Gateway Impact:
The Gateway fills a vital niche in the funding landscape because of their unparalleled ability to recognize and support early-stage research. They work with the research community to uncover new therapies that stimulate the immune system to control tumor growth and extend patients’ lives.
