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Immunotherapy
St. Jude scientists and doctors work to expand and improve immunotherapies for some of the toughest childhood diseases.
Immunotherapy is a type of biological therapy that uses the immune system to find and remove unhealthy or damaged cells, including cancer cells. The immune system includes special white blood cells, tissues, and organs that work together to prevent and get rid of disease.
Your child’s health care team may combine immunotherapy with treatments such as chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant to kill cancer more effectively.
Immunotherapy at St. Jude
Immunotherapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital comes in different forms and works in separate ways. Some kinds of immunotherapy make the overall immune system stronger. Other types of immunotherapies make a person’s immune system work better against a specific disease.
St. Jude is developing one of the largest immunotherapy research programs in the United States. At the Center of Excellence for Pediatric Immuno-Oncology, our scientists and doctors work to expand and improve immunotherapies for childhood cancers. They develop treatments for some of the toughest childhood diseases, including brain and solid tumors.
Immunotherapy includes treatments such as:
- Antibodies: Small molecules that help the immune system find and destroy cancer cells
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors: Drugs that help immune cells kill better
- Cytokines: Proteins made by the body that increase or decrease the immune response
- Cancer-treatment vaccines: Tumor-based vaccines that train the immune system to find and attack cancer cells
- Adoptive cell transfer, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy: Increases, and sometimes trains, the number of immune cells that can find and kill cancer cells
CAR T-cell therapies target a specific molecule on the surface of a cancer cell. CAR T-cell therapy got its start in a St. Jude lab many years ago. It has changed treatment for patients with certain types of advanced leukemia and lymphoma.
Diseases treated with immunotherapy at St. Jude
Immunotherapies treat several childhood cancers, including:
- Certain types of leukemia that have returned or have not responded to therapy
- Certain types of lymphoma that have returned or have not responded to treatment
- Solid tumors
- Brain tumors
Immunotherapy clinical trials
Study goal:
In Part 1 of this study, we will see if sorafenib, cyclophosphamide, bevacizumab, and atezolizumab can be given safely together without causing serious side effects. Part 2 of the study will find out how well these medicines work in hepatocellular carcinoma, fibrolamellar carcinoma, desmoplastic small round cell tumors, and malignant rhabdoid tumors.
Diagnosis:
Solid tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma, fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, sarcomas, malignant rhabdoid tumors, desmoplastic small round cell tumors
Age:
1-30 years old
Study goal:
The main purpose of 3CAR is to find out if this type of immunotherapy is safe for pediatric patients with solid tumors. We also want to learn if it is effective in fighting solid tumors.
Diagnosis:
Age:
Up to 21 years old
Study goal:
The main purpose of this study is to find the highest dose of CD123-CAR T cells that is safe to give patients with AML. We also want to study the side effects of the treatment and learn how effective it is in fighting this type of cancer.
Diagnosis:
Age:
21 years old or younger
Study goal:
The main goal of this study is to learn the largest dose of memory CAR T cells that can be safely given. Researchers also want to learn about the way memory CAR T cells act in the body and how effectively they treat this type of cancer.
Diagnosis:
Age:
Donor: At least 19 years old; Recipient: 21 years or younger
Study goal:
To study the side effects and best dose of MK-3475 (pembrolizumab) and to see how well it works in treating younger patients with high-grade gliomas (brain tumors), diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (brain stem tumors), or hypermutated brain tumors that have come back, progressed or have not responded to previous treatment
Diagnosis:
Recurrent, progressive, or refractory high-grade gliomas
Age:
Participant is 1 to 18 years of age
Study goal:
The purpose of this study is to find the highest dose of CD70+ CAR cells that is safe to give to patients with CD70+ blood cancers.
Age:
Up to 21 years old
Study goal:
The purpose of this study is to find: 1) the largest dose of Loc3CAR T cells that is safe to give patients with B7-H3–positive brain tumors; 2) the side effects of Loc3CAR T cells; 3) the effect Loc3CAR T cells have on brain tumors. This trial will help scientists better understand how the immune system fights this kind of tumor. What we learn from this study could help us create better treatments.
Diagnosis:
Age:
Up to 21 years old
Study goal:
To find out whether adding dinutuximab with chemotherapy, early in treatment, treats high-risk neuroblastoma better than adding it later with chemotherapy.
Diagnosis:
Neuroblastoma or ganglioneuroblastoma
Age:
Up to 30 years old
Study goal:
To find out what effects adding nivolumab to chemotherapy has on people with newly diagnosed NPC.
Diagnosis:
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Age:
21 years old or younger
Why St. Jude for immunotherapy
- Children receiving CAR T-cell therapy are cared for by the St. Jude Transplant Program. The program is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) for transplantation and immunotherapy.
- The Transplant Unit at St. Jude specializes in the care of patients receiving transplants or immunotherapy.
We are consistently ranked among the best childhood cancer centers in the nation by US News & World Report.
At St. Jude, we have created an environment where children can be children and families can be together.
St. Jude patients and families never pay for services authorized by St. Jude.
We lead more clinical trials for childhood cancer than any other hospital in the U.S.
St. Jude is the only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center just for children. A Comprehensive Cancer Center meets rigorous standards for research that develops new and better approaches to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.
The nurse-to-patient ratio at St. Jude is about 1:3 in hematology and oncology and 1:1 in the Intensive Care Unit.
Patients may be able to get expert, compassionate care and treatment closer to their homes through the St. Jude Affiliate Program.
Immunotherapy team
Our immunotherapy team is a close-knit group of doctors who work with a specially trained health care team. This team includes nurses, medical specialists, and staff from clinical nutrition, social work, pharmacy, and child life.
What to expect during your visit
The health care team will review your child’s immunotherapy treatment plan, including the schedule and dose. The details will depend on the type of immunotherapy your child is scheduled to receive.
For example:
- Immunotherapy drugs are usually injected into a vein intravenously (IV).
- Immune cells, including CAR T-cells, are given by IV or injected directly into the area around the tumor.
Whatever your child’s treatment, you will have time to ask your health care teams questions and to discuss any concerns.
Treatment side effects
Immunotherapy side effects are different based on your child’s treatment. Your child’s health care team will tell you what to expect and how to respond. They will also answer questions and talk about your concerns.