Phase I study of the intratumoral administration of recombinant canarypox viruses expressing B7.1 and interleukin 12 in patients with metastatic melanoma.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and activity of the intratumoral administration of the immune costimulatory molecule, B7.1, encoded by a vector derived from the canarypox virus, ALVAC (ALVAC-B7.1), alone and with the intratumoral injection of ALVAC encoding the immune-stimulatory cytokine, interleukin 12 (ALVAC-IL-12). Fourteen patients with metastatic melanoma who had s.c. nodules received intratumoral injections on days 1, 4, 8, and 11. Nine patients were given escalating doses of up to 25 x 10(8) plaque-forming units of ALVAC-B7.1. Five patients were given 25 x 10(8) plaque-forming units of ALVAC-B7.1 combined with ALVAC-IL-12 50% tissue culture infective dose of 2 x 10(6). Toxicity was mild to moderate and consisted of inflammatory reactions at the injection site and fever, chills, myalgia, and fatigue. Higher levels of B7.1 mRNA were observed in ALVAC-B7.1-injected tumors compared with saline-injected control tumors. Higher levels of intratumoral vascular endothelial growth factor and IL-10, cytokines with immune suppressive activities, were also observed in ALVAC-B7.1- and ALVAC-IL-12-injected tumors compared with saline-injected controls. Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor increased at day 18 and returned to baseline at day 43. All patients developed antibody to ALVAC. Intratumoral IL-12 and IFN-gamma mRNA decreased. Changes in serum IL-12 and IFN-gamma levels were not observed. Tumor regressions were not observed. The intratumoral injections of ALVAC-B7.1 and ALVAC-IL-12 were well tolerated at these dose levels and at this schedule and resulted in measurable biological response. This response included the production of factors that may suppress the antitumor immunologic activity of these vectors.