Autologous Dendritic Cell Vaccination in Mesothelioma (MESODEC)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02649829 |
Recruitment Status :
Active, not recruiting
First Posted : January 8, 2016
Last Update Posted : March 3, 2023
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma | Biological: dendritic cell vaccination plus chemotherapy | Phase 1 Phase 2 |
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly aggressive and in virtually all cases fatal cancer that is tightly associated with prior asbestos exposure. Despite some improvement over time, the prognosis of patient diagnosed with MPM remains dismal with a median overall survival from diagnosis of only 12 months.
In this single arm phase I/II trial the investigators want to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of WT1-targeted dendritic cell vaccination in MPM patients as frontline treatment in conjunction with first line platinum/pemetrexed-based chemotherapy and the induction of both systemic and in situ mesothelioma-specific immune responses. During three years of recruitment the investigators aim at including 20 patients diagnosed with histologically proven epithelial MPM (WHO grade 0-1) who are able to undergo leukapheresis, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and pleurectomy/decortication (P/D; in case of resectable disease). Patients who underwent prior treatment for MPM or with a history of another malignancy within the last five years will be excluded.
The intention of this study is to administer four vaccine doses in combination with standard of care of four 3-weekly cytoreductive platinum/pemetrexed-based chemotherapy cycles to each participant and prior to surgery (P/D) in the case of resectable MPM. Patients will receive four 3-weekly intradermal vaccinations with autologous WT1 messenger (m)RNA-loaded dendritic cells (V1-4), at day 14 after the start of each chemotherapy cycle (CT1-4).
The dendritic cell therapy product will be generated and administered in the Antwerp University Hospital, more specifically the Center for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine (CCRG) and the Division of Hematology, both headed by Prof. Zwi Berneman.
The DC vaccines will be under embargo from release until the safety and quality control test results have become available and all release criteria have been met. A detailed overview of all applicable release criteria is provided in the investigational medicinal product dossier. The embargo period generally lasts 3 weeks counting from the day of cryopreservation (i.e. 8 days after leukapheresis).
Recruitment started in August 2017. Study-related follow-up of the included patients is intended to be until 90 days after final DC vaccine administration or 22 months after diagnosis, whichever occurs later. In addition to feasibility and safety of the chemoimmunotherapy schedule, the investigators will look for the time to progression (TTP), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), systemic immunogenicity and local immunogenicity.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 28 participants |
Allocation: | N/A |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | First-line Immunotherapy Using Wilms' Tumor Protein 1 (WT1)-Targeted Dendritic Cell Vaccinations for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma |
Actual Study Start Date : | August 1, 2017 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | December 2023 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | December 2024 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Single Arm
dendritic cell vaccination plus chemotherapy
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Biological: dendritic cell vaccination plus chemotherapy
A. Chemoimmunotherapy:
B. Surgery: pleurectomy/decortication; in case of resectable disease, 4-6 weeks after start of the last chemotherapy cycle. Other Name: chemoimmunotherapy |
- Number of MPM patients with feasible and safe DC vaccine production [ Time Frame: Vaccine production and quality testing (i.e. 4 weeks after leukapheresis) ]
Production of autologous DC vaccines from newly diagnosed MPM patients will be evaluated for:
- Feasibility, assessed by success of leukapheresis and production of sufficient (i.e. at least 4 vaccines) and qualified (phenotypic and functional requirements) vaccines.
- Safety, assessed by microbiological testing (bacteria, yeast, fungi, mycoplasma, endotoxin) of the DC vaccines.
- Number of patients receiving investigational DC vaccine administration combined with standard of care chemotherapy within the proposed time frame [ Time Frame: After the chemoimmunotherapy treatment (+/- 15 weeks after entry to trial) ]
Administration of 4 autologous DC vaccines combined with four 3-weekly platinum/pemetrexed-based chemotherapy cycles will be evaluated for:
- Feasibility, assessed by successful administration of DC vaccines and prior to surgery in case of resectable disease.
- Safety, assessed by local (e.g. skin reactions at injection site) and systemic (toxicity grading according to the latest version of the CTCAE and CTC ) tolerability to the treatment.
- Objective clinical responses by tumor evaluation (clinical efficacy) [ Time Frame: Through study completion, at least after 4 DC vaccinations, prior to surgery (in case of resectable disease) + three months after the last intervention and within every 12 months during follow-up ]
Objective clinical responses to the chemoimmunotherapy and, in case of resectable disease, after surgery as compared to baseline tumor evaluation prior to treatment (i.e. at diagnosis), will be evaluated with:
- radiographic assessments (CT imaging) of the tumor response using the modified RECIST criteria.
- FDG-PET assessments of the tumor response using the PERCIST criteria.
Patients will be followed for disease progression; time to progression (TTP) and progression-free survival (PFS).
- Overall survival (clinical efficacy) [ Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year ]Patients will be followed for survival, from diagnosis and from start of treatment, for which the accurate date and reason of death (cancer-related or non-related) will be recorded for every patient.
- Systemic immunogenicity [ Time Frame: After the fourth DC vaccine (i.e. post chemoimmunotherapy, prior to surgery in case of resectable disease) ]
Systemic immunogenicity will be evaluated by:
- Detection of WT1-specific T cell immunity and innate immunity in peripheral blood.
- Response to delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin testing to the DC vaccine.
- Local immunogenicity [ Time Frame: Upon surgery (P/D) ]Local immunogenicity will be evaluated by detection of immune profile in tumor biopsies and/or pleurectomy specimens (in case of resectable disease).

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis with histologically proven epithelial
- Aged ≥ 18 years at the time of enrollment
- WHO performance status 0-1 at the time of enrollment
- Fit to undergo general anesthesia, a thoracoscopy, leukapheresis, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and P/D (in case of resectable disease)
- No history of receiving any investigational treatment within 28 days of study enrollment
- No history of intolerance to pemetrexed and/or cisplatin
- Women of child bearing potential must have negative serum or urine pregnancy test at the time of screening. They should use adequate birth control measures, as defined by the investigator, during the study treatment period and for at least hundred days after the last study treatment. If pregnancy does occur within this time period, the Principal investigator must be informed as soon as possible. Female subjects who are breastfeeding should discontinue nursing prior to the first dose of study treatment and until hundred days after the last study treatment
- Absence of any psychological, familial, sociological or geographical condition potentially hampering compliance with the study protocol and follow-up schedule; those conditions should be discusses with the patient before registration in the trial. Absence of any other inability or unwillingness to comply with the requirements of the protocol as assessed by the investigator
- Before patient registration written informed consent must be given according to ICH/GCP, and national/local regulations
Exclusion Criteria:
- Unwilling or unable to comply with the study requirements
- Prior treatment for MPM
- History of another malignancy within the last five years (except for carcinoma in situ of the cervix, basal cell or spinocellular carcinoma of the skin or unless the investigator rationalizes otherwise)
- Known proven metastases
- Known concomitant presence of any immunosuppressive disease (e.g. HIV) or any active autoimmune condition, except for vitiligo
- Pregnant or breast-feeding

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02649829
Belgium | |
Antwerp University Hospital | |
Edegem, Antwerp, Belgium, 2650 | |
AZ Middelares | |
Ghent, Belgium, 9000 | |
AZ Nikolaas | |
Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, 9100 |
Study Director: | Zwi N Berneman, MD, PhD | Antwerp University Hospital, Division of Hematology and Center for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine | |
Principal Investigator: | Eva Lion, MSc, PhD | University of Antwerp, Laboratory of Experimental Hematology | |
Principal Investigator: | Evelien LJ Smits, MSc, PhD | University of Antwerp, Laboratory of Experimental Hematology | |
Principal Investigator: | Sébastien Anguille, MD, PhD | Antwerp University Hospital, Division of Hematology |
Responsible Party: | Zwi Berneman, Study coordinator, University Hospital, Antwerp |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT02649829 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
CCRG13-002 |
First Posted: | January 8, 2016 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | March 3, 2023 |
Last Verified: | February 2023 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Undecided |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
dendritic cell vaccination chemo-immunotherapy Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) |
Mesothelioma Mesothelioma, Malignant Adenoma Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms Neoplasms, Mesothelial |
Lung Neoplasms Respiratory Tract Neoplasms Thoracic Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Pleural Neoplasms Lung Diseases Respiratory Tract Diseases |