Short-term tumor cell lines from renal cell carcinoma for use as autologous tumor cell vaccines in the treatment of kidney cancer

Objective: We have tried to establish short-term cultures of autologous tumors from patients with renal cell carcinoma that could be used as active specific immunotherapy (i.e., autologous vaccine) in such patients after resection of primary kidney cancer, and/or for the treatment of metastatic cancer. Methods: Between 10/90 and 9/99 the cell biology laboratory of the Hoag Cancer Center received 69 kidney tumor samples that had been surgically excised, including 43 primary tumors and 26 metastatic lesions. Efforts were made to establish short-term tumor cell cultures, as defined by the growth of 10(8) cells; malignant nature and venal cell origin were confirmed by morphology and antigenic phenotyping. Variables associated with successful growth of short-term cell lines were examined. Results: Short-term cell lines were successfully established from 55/69 samples [80%] including 36/43 (84%) from primary tumors and 19/26 (73%) from metastatic lesions. The success rate for tumors harvested at Hoag Hospital was 40/50 (80%); the success rate for tumors obtained from other geographic areas was 15/19 (79%). Tumor cell lines were successfully established from metastatic lesions ranging in size from a 0.5 g vertebral lesion to a 22 g rib/lung chest wall metastasis, and from primary renal cell lesions ranging in size from 1.5 g to 39.7g. Conclusions: Short-term cell lines can be established for most patients with primary or metastatic renal cell carcinoma making a pure autologous tumor-cell vaccine approach feasible. Vaccines have been prepared for 41 patients and a vaccine therapy trial is in progress.