Spots Global Cancer Trial Database for Safety Study Looking at the Use of a Natural Killer Cell Line Against Hematological Malignancies

Study Description

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to find out how many irradiated natural killer (NK) cells can be safely given to patients with cancer that has recurred after an autologous stem cell transplant, and to see what effects (good and bad) it has on the patient and their cancer. This research is being done because currently, there is no cure or effective treatment for blood-borne cancers when it has come back after an autologous stem cell transplant.

Detailed Description: Patients with hematological malignancies such as acute leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, are generally treated initially with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination of both. High dose therapy and autotransplantation are often utilized in the management of such patients, either as part of initial therapy or for treatment of relapsed disease. When a patient's cancer relapses after transplantation, the prognosis is dismal. Therapeutic options are usually limited to palliative chemotherapy and/or local radiation, and for persons with excellent performance status experimental treatments are considered on an ad hoc basis. Much interest in the last decade has focused on the role of cellular and immunotherapy in this setting. Cancer vaccines and the administration of adoptive cellular and immunotherapy have the theoretical advantage of being non cross-reactive with previous treatments (such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy) and are currently under investigation using a variety of methodologies. NK cells comprise roughly 15% of all lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. They normally function as part of the innate immune system, which provides the body's initial response to infection and malignancy. However, patients with malignancies frequently have impaired NK cell function, as evidenced by reduced in vitro proliferative responses and reduced cytotoxic activity. The infusion of an irradiated NK cell line is appealing as it is a source of cells that can be expanded to therapeutic quantities, and retains anti-tumor activity.

Keywords

Eligibility

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Eligible Ages: ADULT, OLDER_ADULT

Sex: ALL

Healthy Volunteers: No

Locations

Contact Details

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