HER-2 Pulsed DC Vaccine to Prevent Recurrence of Invasive Breast Cancer

Dendritic cell cancer vaccines combined with chemotherapy may increase complete responses giving breast cancer specific immune cells greater opportunity to function while the immune repertoire is being shifted by chemotherapy to anti-breast cancer response and offer the chance to test secondary prevention of breast cancer in high risk settings. Participants with HER-2 driven IBC at least Stage IIIA with N2 (4 positive nodes) following chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab or those with recurrence exclusive of new primary tumor but rendered NED will be undergo mammograms, laboratory studies, and leukapheresis. Vaccines will be manufactured using participants' leukapheresis product, which will be administered in the Clinical Research Center 1 Dulles Building weekly for 6 weeks. Three booster vaccines will be administered at 3 month intervals following the initial induction vaccines. Immune analysis will be done after participant receives all induction vaccines and again after they receive all booster vaccines.

This study began at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and will be continued at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.

Inclusion criteria

• Women over Age 18 years.
• Potential participants with Invasive Breast Cancer at least Stage IIIA, greater than or equal to N2 (>4 positive nodes) or have recurrent metastatic breast cancer rendered NED by any means that are classic HER-2 3+ 30%, 2+ IHC and FISH positive or HER-2 2+ FISH negative, that have completed chemotherapy and/or trastuzumab and are within 1 year from their last treatment and have no evidence of disease.
• Deemed to require anti-estrogen therapy for treatment of their breast cancer can continue anti-estrogen therapy during vaccinations.
• Women of childbearing age with a negative pregnancy test documented prior to enrollment.
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status Score of 0 or 1.
• Willing to use birth control if necessary.
• Have voluntarily signed a written Informed Consent in accordance with institutional policies after its contents have been fully explained to them.

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant or lactating.
• Positive for positive HIV or hepatitis C at baseline.
• Patients with coagulopathies, including thrombocytopenia with platelet count less than 75,000, INR greater than 1.5 and partial thromboplastin time greater than 50 sec.
• Major cardiac illness MUGA less than 50% EF.
• Pre-existing medical illnesses or medications which might interfere with the study as determined by Principal Investigator (PI).