NEWCASTLE-DISEASE VIRUS-INFECTED INTACT AUTOLOGOUS TUMOR-CELL VACCINEFOR ADJUVANT ACTIVE SPECIFIC IMMUNOTHERAPY OF RESECTED COLORECTAL-CARCINOMA

An active specific immunization (ASI) procedure with two types of auto logous tumor cell vaccines (ATVs) is tested for adjuvant immunotherapy of resected colorectal carcinoma to provide preliminary information o n local immunological skin responses, side effects, and 2-year surviva l rates, For vaccine preparation, the tumor-derived freshly isolated a nd cryopreserved cells were thawed, purified by Percoll density centri fugation, and depleted of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes by immunomagn etic beads, After inactivation by 200 Gy, the cells of this ATV were e ither infected by Newcastle disease virus (NDV) or they were admired w ith Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) organisms, Vaccination was performe d in the arm beginning 6-8 weeks after operation, three times at 2-wee k intervals. Of 57 patients that received ASI, 48 were treated by viru s-infected ATV (ATV-NDV) and 9 were treated with the BCG-admixed vacci ne (ATV/BCG), The mean value of delayed hypersensitivity skin reaction s from ATV-NDV-treated patients was 18 mm for the first vaccination an d 26 and 29 mm for the succeeding ones, Although the application of AT V-NDV was associated with only mild side effects, the ATV/BCG vaccine led to long-lasting ulcers and to more serious side effects, The 2-yea r survival rate obtained with ATV-NDV was 97.9%, whereas the survival rate with ATV/BCG was 66.7%, The mean survival of 661 patients from a historical control was 73.8%. These data suggest that the type and qua lity of the tumor vaccine for ASI treatment is important, The findings with ATV-NDV necessitate corroboration in a prospective, randomized c ontrolled study.