Cellular Adoptive Immunotherapy Using Genetically Modified T-Lymphocytes in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Refractory High-Grade Malignant Glioma
Brain and Central Nervous System Tumors
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Brain and Central Nervous System Tumors focused on measuring adult anaplastic astrocytoma, adult diffuse astrocytoma, adult pilocytic astrocytoma, adult subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, adult anaplastic ependymoma, adult ependymoma, adult myxopapillary ependymoma, adult subependymoma, adult anaplastic oligodendroglioma, adult oligodendroglioma, adult brain stem glioma, adult giant cell glioblastoma, adult glioblastoma, recurrent adult brain tumor, adult gliosarcoma, adult mixed glioma, adult pineal gland astrocytoma
Eligibility Criteria
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
Histologically confirmed malignant glioma at original diagnosis
- Grade III or IV disease
- Refractory or recurrent disease
- Unifocal site of original disease in cerebral cortex
- No clinical evidence of progressive encephalopathy
- Has not undergone recent re-resection of recurrent or progressive disease
- No communication between the tumor resection cavity and the ventricles and deep cerebrospinal fluid pathways as documented by post-operative MRI scan
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
- Karnofsky performance status 70-100%
- Life expectancy > 3 months
- WBC ≥ 2,000/dL
- ANC > 1,000/dL
- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/dL (unsupported by transfusion or growth factor)
- Creatinine < 1.6 mg/dL
- Bilirubin < 1.5
- SGOT and SGPT < 2 times upper limit of normal
- Not pregnant
- Negative pregnancy test
- Fertile patients must use effective contraception
- Able to understand protocol basic elements and/or risks/benefits of participating in this pilot study
- No requirement for supplemental oxygen to keep saturation > 95% that is not expected to resolve within 2 weeks
- No uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia
- No hypotension requiring pressor support
- No renal dialysis dependency
- No refractory seizure disorder
- No concurrent non-malignant illness that is poorly controlled with treatment or is of such severity the investigators deem it unwise to enter the patient on protocol
- No severe infection for which patient is being treated
- No history of ganciclovir and/or Prohance contrast allergy or intolerance
- No HIV positivity within the past 3 months
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
- See Disease Characteristics
- Must have recovered from major surgery
- At least 4 weeks since primary therapy and no steroid dependence
- At least 2 weeks since prior adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy and recovered
- No concurrent systemic corticosteroids, except for use in managing T-cell therapy toxicity
- No concurrent immunotherapy (i.e., interferons, vaccines, or other cellular products)
- No concurrent pentoxifylline
- No other concurrent investigative agents
- No concurrent ganciclovir or ganciclovir derivative
- No concurrent acyclovir for non-life threatening herpes virus infection
Sites / Locations
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Experimental
Treatment (therapeutic autologous lymphocytes)
Patients receive an infusion of autologous antigen-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocyte clones over 5-10 minutes on days 1, 3, and 5 of weeks 1 and 2. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for a total of 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.