Dr. Kandalaft on an Ovarian Cancer Immunotherapy

Lana Kandalaft, PharmD, MTR, PhD, director of clinical development in the Ovarian Cancer Research Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, describes a study that examined a novel two-step immunotherapy for women with advanced ovarian cancer.

In the study, 6 patients were preconditioned with a regimen of bevacizumab plus cyclophosphamide, states Kandalaft. Following this treatment, patients underwent apheresis to harvest dendritic cells, which were then introduced to tissue from the patient's tumor, in order to create a personalized vaccine. Once created, the vaccine was administered to the patients along with the combination regimen.

Immune monitoring assays were conducted to gauge response. Overall, after 42 months, two patients had a partial response, two had stable disease, and two progressed, Kandalaft notes. Patients who achieved a clinical benefit also experienced an anti-tumor immune response.

In the second phase of this trial, Kandalaft explains, 3 of the patients who had progressed and still had evidence of disease underwent a second apheresis to collect primed T cells. These T cells were multiplied in the lab and were reintroduced into the patient, following lymphodepletion.

Overall, following the second treatment, 1 patient who had achieved a partial response in the first phase of the trial experienced a complete response. The other patients either progressed or had stable disease at the time of the analysis, Kandalaft notes.