Vaccine therapy for colon cancer

Abstract

A meta-analysis of all three trials with 723 patients has been concluded, and is currently being submitted for publication. Our conclusions at this point are that the data are sufficiently compelling to suggest that active specific immunotherapy with an autologous tumor cell plus BCG vaccine should be considered as a standard therapy for patients with stage II colon cancer. A phase III trial in Stage III colon cancer comparing surgical resection followed by six months of 5-FU/leucovorin chemotherapy followed by a fourth vaccine boost at 6 months versus surgical resection alone, is being started in Europe and the United States.