NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

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Whereas the patients who developed systemic antitumor cytotoxicity had significantly longer survival than those who did not (P = 0.04), this survival difference also correlated with the presence or absence of tumor progression at the time of dendritic cell vaccination. The development of a positive CTL response was negatively associated with active progressive disease (as measured by brain MRI). 100% (six of six) of patients who generated positive CTL responses had stable/minimal residual disease burden (stable gross residual disease or no measurable residual disease) at the time of dendritic cell vaccination.

Conversely, for the five patients who were experiencing active tumor progression at the time of vaccination, none (zero of five) developed statistically significant cell-mediated CTL responses. These data suggest that glioblastoma multiforme patients with active tumor progression/recurrence may have an impaired ability to mount cellular antitumor immune responses, a finding that has been observed previously (33, 34). -- Prins/Liau 2005

DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-05-0464 Published August 2005