DCVax®-Brain and DC vaccines in the treatment of GBM

Background: DCVax (R)-Brain (Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc., Bethesda, MD, USA) is a personalized treatment for brain tumors. Its approach of administering autologous tumor antigen-bearing dendritic cells (DCs) has garnered hope for more effective and less toxic therapy for patients with malignant brain tumors including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). DCVax-Brain composition and efficacy are not fully disclosed, although sponsors claim it is poised to critically test clinical DC vaccine efficacy in GBM patients. Objective: This review examines the efficacy of DC vaccine therapy in treating GBM patients. Review question: To determine if the approach of DC vaccination followed by DCVax-Brain shows ample clinical promise in GBM patients. Search strategy: All published reports of DC vaccination for GBM and press releases regarding DCVax-Brain findings were evaluated. Critical appraisal of reports and summary of outcomes: Published DC vaccine trials for high-grade glioma patients suggest favorable clinical outcomes not easily ascribed to non-treatment parameters. Evidence of possible selection bias exists in many reports, but efforts to account for this are evident in the most recent publications. Conclusion: DC vaccine trials provide evidence of low toxicity in GBM patients and effective induction of antitumor immunity in the latest publications correlate with clinical improvements. Preliminary reports on DCVax-Brain clinical outcomes seem to follow these trends.