Tumor RNA Transfected Dendritic Cell Vaccines

Tumor RNA Transfected Dendritic Cell Vaccines

The purpose of this study is to use dendritic cells transfected with amplified RNA from autologous tumor cells to develop a vaccine strategy for the treatment of prostate cancer in patients with disseminated disease.

The specific aims are: 1) to evaluate, in a phase I clinical trial, the safety of vaccinating patients with dendritic cells transfected with RNA from autologous cancer cells; 2) to analyze the T cell responses induced by the treatment; and 3) to improve the efficacy of the treatment by developing methods to increase the induction of CD4+T cell responses.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer stages D1 - D3 are eligible for this study.
• They must not have a history of autoimmune disease, serious intercurrent chronic or acute illness, pulmonary disease, active hepatitis, serologic evidence for HIV, or be receiving corticosteroid or immunosuppressive therapy.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients will be excluded from the study if they have received chemotherapy or other forms of immunotherapy in the 6 weeks prior to study entry.