Phase I clinical trial of a TGF-beta antisense-modified tumor cell vaccine in patients with advanced glioma.

We performed a phase I clinical trial in grade IV astrocytoma to assess the safety of a whole-cell vaccine comprising autologous tumor cells genetically modified by a transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF-beta2) antisense vector. Blocking secretion of the immunosuppressive molecule TGF-beta in this manner should inhibit one of the major mechanisms by which tumor cells evade immune surveillance and should lead to clinically effective antitumor immunity. Six patients with progressive WHO grade IV astrocytoma were enrolled in the trial. Patients received 2-7 subcutaneous injections of 5 x 10(6)-2 x 10(7) autologous tumor cells per injection. TGF-beta2 secretion by the tumor cells used to vaccinate patients was inhibited by 53-98%. Treatment was well tolerated with only low-grade, transient treatment-related toxicities reported. Two patients had partial regressions and two had stable disease following therapy. The overall median survival was 68 weeks. Median survival of the responding patients was 78 weeks, compared to a historic value of 47 weeks for glioma patients treated conventionally. There were indications of humoral and cellular immunity induced by the vaccine. These findings support further clinical evaluation of vaccines comprised of TGF-beta antisense-modified tumor cells.

Regulation of melanoma cell adhesion stabilization to fibronectin.

Tumour cell arrest and the formation of stable adhesive interactions between tumour cells and endothelial cells or underlying matrix in the microvasculature are crucial steps in the metastatic process. We have developed a sensitive hydrodynamic adhesion assay to investigate the regulation of melanoma cell adhesion stabilization to the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin. Modulators of human MeWo melanoma Ca2+ concentration and stores, including ionomycin, thapsigargin, dantrolene and caffeine, inhibited cell adhesion stabilization to fibronectin; however, removal of Ca2+ from the extracellular medium did not affect stabilization. The calmodulin inhibitor W-7 and the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine also blocked MeWo adhesion stabilization to fibronectin, as did the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein and the cytoskeletal inhibitor cytochalasin D. Manipulation of MeWo cell intracellular CAMP levels had no effect of adhesion stabilization to fibronectin, nor did treatment of cells with phorbol ester, pertussis toxin or cholera toxin. Drug treatments that inhibited adhesion stabilization also had significant effects on the actin cytoskeleton organization of the melanoma cells. This study suggests a role for calcium, calmodulin, protein kinase C and tyrosine kinases in the intracellular regulation of MeWo adhesive stabilization.

Proteolysis and invasiveness of brain tumors: role of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor.

The cellular receptor for urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPAR) in glioblastoma cell lines has been identified and found to be similar to the uPAR expressed by other tumor cell lines. Increased levels of uPAR have been found in primary malignant brain tumor tissues, especially highly malignant glioblastoma, and, to a lesser degree, in malignant astrocytomas, suggesting that this receptor might be involved in efficient activation of pro-uPA and confinement of uPA activity on the cell surface of invading brain tumors. The cell surface uPARs in gliomas could constitute an optimum environment for the generation and activity of plasmin, which is known to play a crucial role in the dissolution of the extracellular matrix during tumor cell invasion. In situ hybridization studies have shown that uPAR mRNA is expressed abundantly in tumor cells and is consistently present at the invasive edges of malignant gliomas. These results imply that uPAR is involved in plasmin-catalyzed proteolysis during glioma invasion and that interference with the uPA:uPAR interactions could constitute a novel approach for developing therapeutic strategies to counteract invasion of brain tumors.

Relationship between histopathology and in vitro clonogenicity in breast cancer.

The human tumor clonogenic assay was used to culture 268 primary and metastatic breast cancer samples. Cultures of 181 specimens were prepared in the double-layer agar system and 87 in a modified system utilizing a liquid upper layer. Successful growth (greater than 5 colonies) was 53% for the agar 2-layer method and 68% for the modified system. Three morphologically distinct colony types were observed: Type I--small, dark, compact colonies; Type II--clear colonies; and Type III--mixed colonies of Types I and II. In 73 cases the histologic slides of the original tumor specimens were reviewed, and the histopathological findings correlated with the clonogenicity of the specimens. There was a significant positive relationship between the degree of differentiation and focal microscopic tumor necrosis in the original specimen and its subsequent clonogenicity. However, other histologic parameters did not show any relationship with clonogenicity.