A Pilot Study of Tumor Lysate-Pulsed Dendritic Cell Vaccine in Pediatric High-Risk Solid Tumor Patients Following HCT: Preliminary Results

Abstract

Pediatric pts with metastatic or recurrent solid tumors often relapse even when remissions are consolidated with high dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). We previously showed dendritic cell (DC) based tumor vaccines to be safe and produce anti-tumor responses in children with refractory solid tumors. Experimental evidence indicates that the period of lymphopenia that occurs after HCT may be an opportune time to improve the immune response to self tumor. Furthermore, a DC based tumor vaccine may be most effective when residual disease burden is minimal, as in the period immediately after HCT.