Therapeutic Vaccine in Trial as Treatment for Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Patients are currently being enrolled in a multicenter phase II clinical trial of a therapeutic vaccine designed to be used with chemotherapy in treating advanced colorectal cancer.

"The goal of the study is to determine if the vaccine, called ALVAC-CEA/B7.1, can activate the body's own immune system to eliminate cancer cells that may not be eliminated with traditional treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer with the standard, first-line chemotherapy regimen," said Dr. Neil Berinstein, Assistant Vice President Clinical Oncology at Aventis Pasteur.

"We will be looking to see if the vaccine, combined with chemotherapy, allows a better outcome for patients than chemotherapy alone," Berinstein said.

The trial will enroll up to 90 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer not yet treated with standard chemotherapy. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three treatments.

Group one will be vaccinated with ALVAC-CEA/B7.1 before starting standard chemotherapy and will receive additional doses of the vaccine along with the chemotherapy.

The second group will receive the same treatment as group one plus doses of tetanus toxoid to determine whether this additional compound further enhances the immune response.

The third group will receive standard chemotherapy and, if they achieve complete or partial responses, they will have the option of receiving ALVAC-CEA/B7.1 vaccine upon completion of chemotherapy.

Treatments will last about 28 to 31 weeks, depending on the group and how well patients tolerate the chemotherapy. For more information, contact Aventis Pasteur: 1- 866-455-0349.

Other Sources: Aventis Pasteur