A Phase 2 interventional study of Autologous Dendritic Cells (DC) vaccine and Temozolomide in Glioblastoma and Vaccination, sponsored by Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori Dino Amadori IRST S.r.l. IRCCS. Recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-07-22.
Sponsored by Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori Dino Amadori IRST S.r.l. IRCCS · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
Single arm, monocentric trial to assess the safety and the progression-free survival related to the combined treatment of dendritic cell vaccine loaded with autologous tumor homogenate and temozolomide in patients operated for glioblastoma and then treated with standard radiochemotherapy (according to Stupp regimen).
Single arm, monocentric trial to assess the safety and the progression-free survival related to the combined treatment of dendritic cell vaccine loaded with autologous tumor homogenate and temozolomide in patients operated for glioblastoma and then treated with standard radiochemotherapy (according to Stupp regimen).
The experimental treatment consists of an induction phase with 4 weekly doses of dendritic cell vaccine (10x10exp6 cells) intradermally administered (weeks 1-4), followed by a maintenance phase consisting of 28 days cycles with vaccine administration (start on week 7) and adjuvant temozolomide (150-200mg/m2/day) assumed orally from day 1 to 5 q28 (start on week 5). The combined maintenance treatment will continue until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or withdrawal of consent by the patient, or up to a maximum of 1 year of treatments. After disease progression or the end of maintenance phase, is foreseen a one-year follow-up phase for each subject.
Primary objectives are clinical activity and safety of the study treatment. Secondary objectives are the evaluation of the prognostic role of the positive Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) skin test after at least four vaccine administrations, the OS and the immunological efficacy of the study treatment. A series of exploratory objectives will be also assessed on samples from patients who participate to this optional part of the trial.
Simon's two-stage design (Simon, 1989) will be used for the sample size calculation.
A planned interim analysis will be done after the recruitment of the first 9 evaluable patients for toxicity and for efficacy.
If study will not be stopped due to lack of safety or efficacy, a total of 28 evaluable patients will be enrolled for the trial.
Time to events (PFS and OS) will be calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method and the analysis was performed on the eligible population. For the primary objective, the proportion of patients without progression at three months from leukapheresis date will be evaluated. The proportion of patients experiencing vaccine-related grade ≥ 3 adverse events (AEs) during the treatment will be inferred by means of the two-sided Clopper-Pearson, or a more appropriate one, 95% confidence interval. Descriptive statistics will be used to assess the extent of the secondary endpoints.
2,132 studies on the registry are indexed under Glioblastoma; 464 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 28 is below the median of 36 across 1,753 interventional studies indexed under Glioblastoma.
Browse Glioblastoma studies →Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori Dino Amadori IRST S.r.l. IRCCS is the lead sponsor of 60 studies on the registry; 20 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
After signing the form for pre-screening, patient will assess the procedures to obtain sufficient leukapheretic material for the dendritic cell vaccine manufacturing and will perform the standard radiochemotherapy treatment (Stupp regimen) for the disease.
For the pre-screening phase of the study the eligibility criteria are:
Patient suitable for the collection of biological material from leukapheresis:
serological tests , virus (HBV), , Treponema pallidum negative; normal cardiological parameters ( and cardiological examination); evaluation by transfusionist to exclude possible to leukapheresis.
After pre-screening, patient will be enrolled based on subsequent Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).
Your pathology report is the document that shows this.
A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.
Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.
A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.
Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.
The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.
Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
The US National Cancer Institute’s scale of how severe an adverse event is — any unwanted medical event during a study, such as a symptom, an illness or an abnormal test result, whether or not a treatment caused it. Whether it did is judged separately.
“Side effects of earlier treatment resolved to grade 1 or less” means they have settled to mild or gone.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Vaccines made with a weakened form of the germ, such as measles–mumps–rubella (MMR), chickenpox and yellow fever. They can be risky when the immune system is weakened. Flu injections are not live; the nasal flu spray is.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Histologically or cytologically confirmed
The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).
Your pathology report is the document that shows this.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Karnofsky performance status (KPS)
A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.
Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ECOG performance status
A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.
Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Life expectancy
The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hepatitis B tests
Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.
Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hepatitis C tests
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ECG (electrocardiogram)
A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
CTCAE grade
The US National Cancer Institute’s scale of how severe an adverse event is — any unwanted medical event during a study, such as a symptom, an illness or an abnormal test result, whether or not a treatment caused it. Whether it did is judged separately.
“Side effects of earlier treatment resolved to grade 1 or less” means they have settled to mild or gone.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Live vaccines
Vaccines made with a weakened form of the germ, such as measles–mumps–rubella (MMR), chickenpox and yellow fever. They can be risky when the immune system is weakened. Flu injections are not live; the nasal flu spray is.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Induction phase: 4 weekly doses of dendritic cell vaccine (10x10exp6 cells) intradermally administered (weeks 1-4). Maintenance phase: 28 days cycles with vaccine administration (start on week 7) and adjuvant temozolomide (150-200mg/m2/day) assumed orally from day 1 to 5 q28 (start on week 5). The combined maintenance treatment will continue until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or withdrawal of consent by the patient, or up to a maximum of 1 year of treatments. After disease progression or the end of maintenance phase, is foreseen a one-year follow-up phase for each subject.
Biological: Autologous Dendritic Cells (DC) vaccine · Drug: Temozolomide
10×10exp6 autologous dendritic cells loaded with autologous tumour homogenate given by intradermal injection (day 1)
Adjuvant temozolomide assumed orally from day 1 to 5 (start on week 5). Dosage: 150mg/m2/day for the first cycle and 200 mg/m2/day for subsequent cycles (q28).
clinical activity
Progression free survival (PFS), measured as the proportion of patients without progression of disease at three months from leukapheresis
Time frame: about 55 months
Incidence of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events
Proportion of patients experienced grade 3 or higher adverse events related to the study treatment
Time frame: about 55 months
Immune response in vivo
Evaluation of the prognostic role of a positive DTH test after at least four vaccine administrations
Time frame: about 32 months
Clinical Outcome (Overall Survival (OS))
Overall Survival (OS) is calculated as the time from the date of leukapheresis to the date of death for any cause. Patients still alive at the time of analysis are censored at the last time they are known to be alive.
Time frame: about 55 months
Immunological efficacy
Immunological efficacy: ability to enhance the proportion of circulating immune effectors specific for tumor antigens; evaluation of the persistence of an anti-tumor immune response; determination of plasma levels of a panel of inflammatory cytokines and pro-angiogenic factors; evaluation of the prognostic and predictive role of tumor antigen expression in tumor tissue; analysis of the prognostic and predictive role of immune cells in the peripheral blood and in the tumor microenvironment
Time frame: about 55 months
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II characterization characterization of patients
Explorative endpoint (optional participation for patients): HLA class I and II characterization of patients
Time frame: about 32 months
Started Mar 2021 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jul 2025, 52 months after the start.
Of 198 non-industry phase 2 interventional studies under Glioblastoma, half reached primary completion within 59 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 41 and three quarters within 89. This study's planned 52 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 249 studies reached it within 56 months; a quarter within 40 and three quarters within 87.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Temozolomide
Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori Dino Amadori IRST S.r.l. IRCCS