Treatment of melanoma with a vaccine comprising irradiated autologous melanoma tumor cells conjugated to a hapten

摘要

The invention is a haptenized tumor vaccine for the treatment of cancer. Treatment of cancer patients with an autologous, vaccine preceded by low dose cyclophosphamide (CY) induces delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to melanoma cells, and in some cases, regression of metastatic tumors. The efficiency of the process has been increased by immunizing with tumor cells conjugated to the hapten such as DNP, TNP or AED. PPAdditional embodiments of the vaccine include: 1) combining the vaccine with immunomodulating drugs, such as, interleukin-2 (IL2); and 2) purifying the active components of the vaccine by extracting antigens from cancer cells to produce a chemically-defined, haptenated vaccine. The treatment may also be extended to include other types of human cancer.