A Phase I Study of Active Immunotherapy With Carcinoembryonic Antigen RNA-Pulsed, Autologous Human Cultured Dendritic Cells in Patients With Metastatic Malignancies Expressing Carcinoembryonic Antigen

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the safety and dose limiting toxicity of an intravenous vaccine of autologous, cultured, dendritic cells pulsed with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) RNA in patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma expressing CEA. II. Assess the cellular immune response to the CEA protein. III. Assess the clinical and biochemical response to the treatment and the duration of such response.

OUTLINE: This a three tiered, open label, uncontrolled, dose escalation study. The first 3 patients receive a low dose of intravenous carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) RNA-pulsed autologous dendritic cells (DC) at weeks 0, 1, 2, and 3. Patients are evaluated for dose limiting toxicity (DLT), immune response, and the antitumor response for at least 1 week before dose escalation may proceed. If there is no DLT in the first three, the next 3 patients are treated at a medium dose of CEA RNA-pulsed autologous DC at 0, 1, 2, and 3 weeks. Finally, if DLT is not seen at the medium dose, the final 6 patients receive intravenous infusions of a high dose of CEA RNA-pulsed autologous DC at weeks 0, 1, 2, and 3. If 1-2 patient(s) experience DLT at the either the low or medium dose levels, 3 more patients are entered at the same dose. If no further DLT occurs, then dose escalation continues. As soon as 3 toxic events occur in 3-6 patients at one dose level, accrual at that level ceases. The MTD is defined as the dose level immediately below that at which more than 3 of 6 patients develop DLT.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A minimum of 3 and a maximum of 18 patients will be accrued for this study.