Positron Emission Tomography and CT Scan in Predicting Response in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma or Kidney Cancer Who Are Undergoing Cellular Adoptive Immunotherapy on a Surgery Branch Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Measure changes in metabolic activity at visceral sites during the acute treatment phase of adoptive cell transfer (ACT) using positron emission tomography (PET)/CT fusion imaging in patients with metastatic melanoma or renal cell cancer.
• Measure changes in metabolic activity at metastatic sites during the acute treatment phase of ACT using PET/CT fusion imaging.
• Compare the changes in metabolic activity at visceral and metastatic sites in patients treated with intravenous vs intra-arterial tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte infusions.

Secondary

• Correlate response of individual metastases with these metabolic alterations.

OUTLINE: This is a pilot study. Patients are stratified according to treatment (intravenous [IV] tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes [TIL] after a nonmyeloablative preparative regimen vs intra-arterial [IA] TIL after a nonmyeloablative preparative regimen vs IV TIL after a myeloablative preparative regimen with chemotherapy and total-body irradiation).

Patients undergo positron emission tomography with fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG-PET)/CT fusion imaging at baseline (before starting TIL infusion), once between days 1-4 after TIL infusion, and once between days 5-8 after TIL infusion.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 70 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of 1 of the following:

• Melanoma
• Renal cell cancer
• Metastatic disease
• Measurable disease by CT scan or MRI
• Enrolled in a Surgery Branch protocol utilizing 1 of the following variations of adoptive cell transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL):

• Intravenous (IV) TIL after a nonmyeloablative preparative regimen (e.g., NCI-99-C-0158)
• Intra-arterial (IA) TIL after a nonmyeloablative preparative regimen (e.g., NCI-99-C-0158)
• IV TIL after a myeloablative preparative regimen with chemotherapy and total-body irradiation (e.g., NCI-04-C-0288)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status 0-2
• No history of or treatment for diabetes mellitus
• No hypersensitivity or allergy to fludeoxyglucose F 18
• Weight ≤ 350 lbs (136 kg)
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No treatment with both IV and IA TIL