Vaccine Therapy, Trastuzumab, and Vinorelbine in Treating Women With Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Breast Cancer

Phase 2TerminatedNCT00088985

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center56 enrolled

Overview

RATIONALE: Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as vinorelbine, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining vaccine therapy with monoclonal antibody therapy and chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving vaccine therapy together with trastuzumab and vinorelbine works in treating women with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine the efficacy of multiepitope autologous dendritic cell vaccine, trastuzumab (Herceptin\^®), and vinorelbine by measuring the change in the largest dimension of metastatic lesions, in women with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer that does not overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu. Secondary * Determine the ability of this regimen to induce functional antigen-specific T cells in these patients by measuring ex-vivo antigen-specific T-cell activity against peptide-pulsed dendritic cells and tumor targets by tetramer staining and intracellular cytokine assays. OUTLINE: * Autologous dendritic cell mobilization and harvest: All patients undergo autologous dendritic cell mobilization with filgrastim (G-CSF) and/or sargramostim (GM-CSF) subcutaneously daily for 4 days followed by apheresis. Mobilized peripheral blood is processed for the production of dendritic cells by cluster of differentiation (CD)34-positive cell selection. The dendritic cells are expanded and then pulsed with E75 and E90 peptides. * Treatment: Patients receive vinorelbine IV over 6-10 minutes and trastuzumab (Herceptin \^®) IV over 90 minutes on day 1. Patients also receive autologous dendritic cells pulsed with E75 and E90 peptides subcutaneously over 2-5 minutes on day 1\*. Treatment repeats every 14 days for up to 6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Note: \*If treatment is given locally, the vaccine therapy will be given at University of North Carolina (UNC) -Chapel Hill the following day. Patients are followed every 3 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 17-37 patients will be accrued for this study.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Interventions

therapeutic autologous dendritic cellsBIOLOGICAL

10 μg/kg subcutaneously (sc) each day for four days or g-CSF at 5 μg/kg sc each day for four days with GM-CSF 250 μg/m2 sc each day for four days. G-CSF and/or GM- CSF will be self-administered. On the fifth day patients will have two intravenous lines placed in the apheresis area of the Blood Bank and then undergo a 15 litre apheresis collection

trastuzumabBIOLOGICAL

4 mg/kg intravenously, every 14 days

vinorelbine ditartrateDRUG

Vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 will be administered intravenously, every 14 days

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 120 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed breast cancer * Locally recurrent or metastatic disease * HLA-A0201 positive by DNA genotyping * HER2/neu expression at least 1+ by immunohistochemistry of tumor sample * Central Nervous System (CNS) metastases allowed provided on therapy for 3 months and stable * Hormone receptor status: * Not specified PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 18 and over Sex * Female Menopausal status * Not specified Performance status * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-2 Life expectancy * Not specified Hematopoietic * Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3 * Hematocrit \> 33% Hepatic * Transaminases ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal * Bilirubin ≤ 2 times normal * Hepatitis B surface antigen negative Renal * Creatinine \< 2.0 mg/dL Cardiovascular * Ejection fraction \> 45% by multigated acquisition scan (MUGA) OR * Left ventricular function normal by echocardiogram * No serious cardiac condition that would preclude study participation or compliance Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * HIV negative * No serious medical or psychiatric condition that would preclude study participation or compliance PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * Prior biologic therapy allowed Chemotherapy * More than 30 days since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy * No other concurrent chemotherapy Endocrine therapy * More than 30 days since prior hormonal therapy * No concurrent hormonal therapy * No concurrent systemic steroids Radiotherapy * Not specified Surgery * Not specified Other * Concurrent bisphosphonates for bone metastases allowed

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Overall Response Rate

Response measured by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST), (Complete Response + Partial Response) Complete Response (CR)- Disappearance of all target lesions Partial Response (PR)-at least a 30% decrease in the longest diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the baseline longest diameter.

Time frame: 6 months following treatment

Secondary Outcomes

Immune Response

Measured by intracellular cytokine staining for Interferon-gamma (INFgamma) and cluster of differentiation (CD107) up regulation and tetramer. A fourfold increase in the number of cluster of differentiation (CD8+) tetramers comparing prevaccine with peak postvaccine values indicated an immune response to the therapy.

Time frame: 3 months following treatment