Safety and Biological Activity of TroVax® Vaccine Given With IL-2 in Renal Cell Carcinoma
Summary
The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of TroVax® investigational vaccine injections when given as first or second line treatment in conjunction with subcutaneous low dose IL-2 to patients with locally advanced or metastatic clear cell or papillary cell renal carcinoma. TroVax® is the experimental product in this trial and its value as a medicine has not yet been proven. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a standard treatment for cancer, which means that it can be received even if one chooses not to participate in this study. TroVax® is being studied as a possible treatment for patients with cancer of the kidney. TroVax® belongs to a class of medicines called vaccines. A vaccine helps the body's immune system to recognize and kill foreign invading organisms effectively. It is believed that one of the reasons why cancer can spread through the body is that the immune system cannot recognize cancer cells as being different from normal tissues and therefore cannot kill the cancer cells. A vaccine that alerts the immune system to the presence of cancer cells in the body could lead to the immune system being able to target and kill those cancer cells effectively. This trial is of a completely new way of trying to treat cancer in the future by the use of vaccination injections. TroVax® consists of a virus that has been changed so that it is no longer infectious and carries a gene for a protein called 5T4. This protein is carried by many kidney cancer cells. When the virus is injected, it makes the protein, and the body's immune system is then able to recognize this protein and kill the cells that have it (i.e. the cancer cells). The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of TroVax® injections and to understand whether TroVax® could make such an immune response happen in patients with renal cell cancer while receiving interleukin-2 (IL-2). This study will also observe and monitor any side effects experienced in patients who receive TroVax® while being treated with IL-2.
Timeline
- Start
- 2005-11
- Primary completion
- 2008-07
- Completion
- 2008-07
Drugs
| Evaluation | Drug | Modality | Dose | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | TroVax | Vaccine | 1 ml | Intramuscular |
| Background | aldesleukin | Protein / enzyme biologic | 125000 iu/kg | Subcutaneous |