Vaccine Therapy With or Without Cyclophosphamide in Treating Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy for Stage I or Stage II Pancreatic Cancer That Can Be Removed by Surgery
Pancreatic Cancer
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Pancreatic Cancer focused on measuring adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, stage I pancreatic cancer, stage II pancreatic cancer
Eligibility Criteria
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
Newly diagnosed adenocarcinoma of the head, neck, or uncinate process of the pancreas
- Stage I or II disease
Surgically resectable disease (R0 or R1) by spiral CT scan
- No distant metastases
- A clear fat plane is present around the celiac and superior mesenteric arteries
- Patent superior mesenteric and portal veins
- Candidate for a pancreaticoduodenectomy
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
- ECOG performance status 0-1
- Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL
- ANC ≥ 1,500/mm³
- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
- Serum creatinine ≤ 2 mg/dL
- AST and ALT ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
- Amylase ≤ 2 times ULN
- Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN
- Hyperbilirubinemia secondary to tumor-associated extrahepatic biliary obstruction allowed
- Not pregnant or nursing
- Negative pregnancy test
- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for ≥ 4 weeks after the completion of study treatment
- No history of autoimmune disease, including systemic lupus erythematosus, sarcoidosis, rheumatoid arthritis, glomerulonephritis, or vasculitis
- No uncontrolled medical problems
- No active infections
- No other cancer within the past 5 years except for superficial bladder cancer, nonmelanoma skin cancer, or low-grade prostate cancer not requiring therapy
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
- More than 28 days since prior anticancer therapy
- No prior cancer immunotherapy, including the same pancreatic cancer vaccine used in this study
- More than 28 days since prior systemic steroid therapy or immunosuppressive therapy
- No systemic steroid therapy or immunosuppressive therapy during and within 28 days after vaccine administration
- No other concurrent immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, gene therapy, biologic therapy, or investigational therapy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer
Sites / Locations
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Experimental
Experimental
Experimental
Arm A
Arm B
Arm C
Patients receive GVAX pancreatic cancer vaccine intradermally (ID) on day 1 of Cycle 1 and undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy on day 15. Approximately 6-10 weeks after surgery, patients receive an additional dose of the vaccine (Cycle 2). Beginning approximately 1 month after vaccination, patients receive standard adjuvant chemoradiotherapy comprising gemcitabine, fluorouracil or capecitabine, and radiotherapy over 26-28 weeks. Beginning approximately 4-8 weeks after the completion of chemoradiotherapy, patients receive the vaccine on day 1. Treatment with the vaccine repeats every 28 days for 4 additional cycles.
Patients receive low-dose cyclophosphamide IV on day 0 and GVAX pancreatic cancer vaccine ID on day 1 of Cycle 1. Patients undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy on day 15. Approximately 6-10 weeks after surgery, patients receive low-dose cyclophosphamide IV on day 0 and the vaccine (Cycle 2). Beginning approximately 1 month after vaccination, patients receive standard adjuvant chemoradiotherapy comprising gemcitabine, fluorouracil or capecitabine, and radiotherapy over 26-28 weeks. Beginning approximately 4-8 weeks after the completion of chemoradiotherapy, patients receive low-dose cyclophosphamide IV on day 0 and the vaccine on day 1. Treatment with cyclophosphamide and the vaccine repeats every 28 days for 4 additional cycles..
Patients receive GVAX pancreatic cancer vaccine ID on day 1 of Cycle 1 and low-dose oral cyclophosphamide twice daily on days 1-7. Patients undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy on day 15. Approximately 6-10 weeks after surgery, patients receive the vaccine on day 1 and low-dose oral cyclophosphamide twice daily on days 1-7 and 15-21 (Cycle 2). Beginning approximately 1 month after vaccination, patients receive standard adjuvant chemoradiotherapy comprising gemcitabine, fluorouracil or capecitabine, and radiotherapy over 26-28 weeks. Beginning approximately 4-8 weeks after the completion of chemoradiotherapy, patients receive the vaccine on day 1 and low-dose oral cyclophosphamide twice daily on days 1-7 and 15-21. Treatment with the vaccine and cyclophosphamide repeats every 28 days for 4 additional cycles.