Vaccines Treatment Options in Boston, MA

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Vaccines may make the body build an immune response to kill tumor cells. Combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy with vaccine therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy with vaccine therapy in treating patients who have limited-stage small cell lung cancer. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate NicVAX as an aid to smoking cessation for long term abstinence. Read Less

This study is designed to evaluate in a controlled manner the effect of Prevnar® on the immune responses of Pentacel™ Primary Objective - Stage I: To compare the immune responses elicited by an infant series of Pentacel™ when given at different times from or concurrently with a Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar®). Primary Objective - Stage II: To compare the immune responses elicited by a 4th dose of Pentacel™ when given at different times from or concurrently with Prevnar®. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of MDX-010 (ipilimumab, BMS-734016) (anti-CTLA4) in combination with MDX-1379 (gp100, BMS-734019) in patients with previously treated, unresectable Stage III or IV melanoma. Survival time will be evaluated, as well as patient responses and time to disease progression. Eligible patients are those who in response to a single regimen containing interleukin-2 (IL-2), dacarbazine, and/or temozolomide, have 1) relapsed following an objective response (partial response/complete response \[PR/CR\]); 2) failed to demonstrate an objective response (PR/CR); or 3) could not tolerate such a regimen due to unacceptable toxicity. Patients will be randomized into one of three groups, and will receive one of the following treatments: MDX-010 alone, MDX-1379 alone, or MDX-010 in combination with MDX-1379. Read Less

Many IBD patients take immunosuppressive agents and we are uncertain as to their capacity to mount a truly protective response after vaccination. If IBD patients do not have an adequate immunological response, they may need to increase the dosage or get booster shots. Many clinicians who treat patients with autoimmune diseases are asking if the vaccine is safe and effective. Thus, this study has important clinical and public health significance because more than one million people in the United States have been diagnosed with IBD. There is not much studied about HPV and immunocompromised patients. Research on healthy women who were immunized with a set of three HPV vaccines demonstrated significantly increased antibody titers. In addition, they had significantly reduced HPV incident and persistent infection and HPV-related disease (cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, genital warts) through five years of follow-up compared to controls who received a placebo. The HPV vaccine was well tolerated without significant side effects. The aims of this research are to measure the immune response in 9-26 year old IBD patients who are on immunosuppressive agents after receiving the HPV vaccine compared with historical controls. We will also evaluate the number and type of vaccine-associated adverse events as well as the disease activity and flare-ups that occur after each dose of vaccine. We hypothesize that IBD patients on immunosuppressive therapy will have have a similar immune response to HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 at one month postdose 3 compared to healthy age-matched historical controls. The patient population includes IBD patients who are on immunosuppressive medications. Recruiting approximately 100 patients will provide adequate power for the study. A blood sample will be taken from all IBD patients to evaluate baseline antibody levels and markers (e.g., ESR, CBC, albumin) before or immediately after immunization with the HPV vaccine. Lab tests will be redrawn at 7 months to evaluate the level of antibody titers and follow the markers. During the study, we will track basic laboratory measures, disease status by using the Pediatric Crohn's Disease Active Index or Harvey-Bradshaw Index for UC, side effects from the vaccinations, and other adverse events. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to find out whether these powerful combinations of anti-HIV drugs are safe and effective for use in patients in the early stages of HIV infection and to find out how patients' immune systems react to HIV and anti-HIV drugs. Doctors generally treat patients in the early stages of HIV infection with the same anti-HIV drugs taken by patients who have had HIV for a long time. These drugs lower the level of HIV in the blood. However, doctors do not know whether patients who take anti-HIV drugs in the early stages of HIV infection actually live longer or have fewer AIDS-related diseases. This study will help doctors answer these questions. In the main study, doctors will look at how 2 different anti-HIV drug combinations affect the immune system. In the 2 substudies, doctors will look at how the body reacts to the hepatitis B vaccine and the tetanus vaccine. These substudies may help doctors learn how HIV-infected patients respond to new infections. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate clinical and laboratory safety associated with the administration of GVAX leukemia vaccine and to determine the feasibility of generation of GVAX leukemia vaccine in subjects with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Read Less