Chemotherapy and Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation Followed by Immunotherapy in Treating Patients With Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Leukemia Clinical Trial

Official title: Autotransplantation for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) Followed by Immunotherapy With Ex-Vivo Expanded Autologous T Cells

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining chemotherapy with a peripheral stem cell transplant and immunotherapy may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more cancer cells. Biological therapies use different ways to stimulate the immune system and stop cancer cells from growing.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying giving chemotherapy together with a peripheral stem cell transplant followed by immunotherapy to see how well it works in treating patients with chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Clinical Trial Description

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the feasibility of ex vivo expansion and reinfusion of autologous CD4+ T cells after interferon therapy or high-dose chemotherapy with CD34-selected autologous peripheral blood stem cell rescue in patients with chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

• Determine the frequency of hematologic, cytogenetic, and molecular remissions of CML following infusion of ex vivo expanded T cells.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo mononuclear cell leukapheresis to obtain T cells for ex-vivo expansion, preferably before they receive interferon alfa subcutaneously (SC) daily on a therapeutic trial.

At least 1 month after interferon is stopped, mobilization chemotherapy is administered. Patients receive cyclophosphamide IV over 12 hours on day 0, etoposide IV over 2 hours on day 1, sargramostim (GM-CSF) SC on days 3 and 4, and filgrastim (G-CSF) SC beginning on day 5. Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) are collected by leukapheresis when blood cell counts have recovered.

Approximately 2-3 weeks later, high-dose chemotherapy begins. Patients receive gemcitabine IV over 100 minutes on day -5, carmustine IV over 2 hours on day -2, followed 6 hours later by gemcitabine IV again, and melphalan IV over 20 minutes on day -1. CD34 selected PBSCs are infused on day 0, at least 18 hours after melphalan administration. Patients receive GM-CSF SC beginning on day 1 and continuing until blood cell counts recover.

Patients then receive ex vivo expanded autologous T cells on day 14 after autotransplantation. Interferon alfa is administered three times a week starting about 3 months after transplantation.

Patients who only receive expanded T cells, without high-dose chemotherapy and autotransplantation, but show no response after 3 months, may proceed to autotransplantation followed by a second ex vivo expanded T-cell infusion.

Patients are followed at 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, then every 6 months thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 7-22 patients will be accrued for this study. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Leukemia
• Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive
• Leukemia, Myeloid

• NCT number: NCT00003727
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: March 1999
• Completion date: February 2008