NB2013-HR German (GPOH) / Dutch (DCOG) Trial

Although the five year survival rate of children with high risk neuroblastoma have increased over the last three decades from 4 to 44 % (1), neuroblastoma is the second most frequent cause for cancer related death in childhood (11 %). Most patients show good initial response rates (complete (CR) and partial remission (PR) rate 95 %), but 55 % experience a largely treatment-resistant tumor progression. Recently, a breakthrough with immunotherapy was reported by US investigators from the Children's Oncology Group (2) using the anti-ganglioside D2 (GD2) monoclonal antibody ch14.18 for tumor cell destruction and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) plus interleukin 2 (IL-2) for immunostimulation. This immune therapy resulted in an increase of 20 % Event free survival (EFS) at 2 year from randomization. However, this was associated with a high toxicity rate (pain, capillary leak syndrome). The proposed trial compares the Childrens' Oncology Group (COG) "standard of care" arm (anti-GD2 + GM-CSF + IL-2 i.v. + retinoic acid oral) with an experimental arm (anti-GD2 + GM-CSF + IL-2 s.c. + retinoic acid oral) designed to reduce toxicity. The potential benefit from this trial consists of the confirmation that the American trial design is feasible in an independent set of patients with different preceding therapy, at a different time point regarding to immune reconstitution after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), the feasibility of a newly designed immunotherapy (which is hopefully less toxic) and the investigation of immune response parameters. This pilot study is the prerequisite for a consecutive randomized clinical trial comparing two immunotherapeutic approaches in a larger set of patients.

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Months

Maximum age

25 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Established diagnosis of neuroblastoma according to the international criteria (INSS)
* High risk (HR): stage 4 over 18 months of age and oncogen MYCN (MYCN) amplified neuroblastoma of any stage and any age until 25 years (recurrent disease (Germany and The Netherlands) after re-induction chemotherapy (+/- other modalities) or newly diagnosed disease (only The Netherlands):
* Complete front-line treatment including induction chemotherapy, radioisotope (mIBG) treatment, appropriate local therapy such as surgical removal and/ or local irradiation of the primary tumor and myeloablative chemotherapy with autologous stem cell reinfusion according to the actual guidelines of the GPOH/DCOG
* achieved response status: stable disease or better (CR, VGPR, PR, SD).
* Written informed consent of parents or guardian and - if appropriate - of the patient.
* For at least two weeks prior to start of trial medication off any standard or experimental treatment no tumour surgery no immediate requirements for palliative chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery
* The patient may have had prior central nervous system (CNS) metastases provided the following criteria are all met:

The patient's CNS disease has been previously treated The patient's CNS disease has been clinically stable for four weeks prior to starting this study (assessed clinically and by MRI or CT) The patient is off steroids for four weeks prior to starting the study and will not require them during the course of the study A patient with seizure disorders may be enrolled if well controlled on anticonvulsants and if no seizures have occurred within a 6 week period prior to starting trial treatment

* HIV sero-negative and neither active nor chronic-replicative hepatitis B infection
* Laboratory testing: The patients should have adequate functions of the cor, lung, bone marrow, liver, kidney

Exclusion Criteria:

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• BACKGROUNDYu AL, Gilman AL, Ozkaynak MF, London WB, Kreissman SG, Chen HX, Smith M, Anderson B, Villablanca JG, Matthay KK, Shimada H, Grupp SA, Seeger R, Reynolds CP, Buxton A, Reisfeld RA, Gillies SD, Cohn SL, Maris JM, Sondel PM; Children's Oncology Group. Anti-GD2 antibody with GM-CSF, interleukin-2, and isotretinoin for neuroblastoma. N Engl J Med. 2010 Sep 30;363(14):1324-34. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0911123. PMID 20879881
• BACKGROUNDSimon T, Hero B, Faldum A, Handgretinger R, Schrappe M, Klingebiel T, Berthold F. Long term outcome of high-risk neuroblastoma patients after immunotherapy with antibody ch14.18 or oral metronomic chemotherapy. BMC Cancer. 2011 Jan 18;11:21. doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-11-21. PMID 21244693
• RESULTSimon T, Hero B, Faldum A, Handgretinger R, Schrappe M, Niethammer D, Berthold F. Consolidation treatment with chimeric anti-GD2-antibody ch14.18 in children older than 1 year with metastatic neuroblastoma. J Clin Oncol. 2004 Sep 1;22(17):3549-57. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2004.08.143. PMID 15337804