Astrocytoma
The inducing course of immunotherapy consists of 10 subcutaneous vaccinations (five at weekly and five at fortnight intervals) and takes about 3 months. The supporting vaccination schedule is determined by both a disease stage and a health state of a patient. The treatment is conducted on an outpatient basis.
The vaccine-induced, immune processes destroy the tumor cells and suppress the development of residual disease.
Xenogenic polyantigenic vaccine (XPV) is sterile.
The development of an influenza-like syndrome in the form of a body temperature rise up to 38°, but also and musculoskeletal discomfort are possible. Those symptoms are usually self-limited. The immunotherapy has no side effects attributable to chemoradiotherapy.
Xenovaccinotherapy for astrocytoma
Therapeutic vaccination is a strategy that uses tumor-associated antigens to induce tumor-specific, immune responses. The xenogenic (murine) polyantigenic vaccine (XPV) -in which there are main families of common tumor associated antigens - has been developed in the Institute of Clinical immunology. The small structural distinctions of xenogenic tumor-associated antigens from their human analogues render these antigens highly immunogenic and capable of stimulating immune-mediated, antitumor responses in a patient not only at early, but also at late stages of a disease, when tumor-derived immunosuppression is significant for more information.
Six children, 4 male and 2 female, aged from 2-to-7 years underwent vaccinotherapy. Before the immunotherapy all patients had the signs of continued tumor growth. Throughout follow-up time the patients received no any systemic therapy other than immunotherapy. A follow-up of 3 years clearly showed apparent, long-term benefits from vaccinotherapy in all patients. In the final analysis, all vaccine-treated patient were alive and lead an active life.
These results are very impressive. Nevertheless, they must be interpreted with caution because they are based on a very small number of patients.
