Composition and Method for Treating Cancer

Abstract

Pharmaceutical compositions useful as vaccines are described containing a purified surface or excreted protein qualitatively or quantitatively associated with a type of cancer, at least one interleukin (IL), and at least one colony stimulating factor (CSF), where the purified surface or excreted protein is provided in an amount sufficient to induce an immune response in an individual administered the composition. Such compositions can be used in methods for treating individuals having cancer, and for inducing an immunotherapeutic response in the same.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A composition comprising (i) a purified surface or excreted protein qualitatively or quantitatively associated with a type of cancer; (ii) at least one interleukin (IL); and (iii) at least one colony stimulating factor (CSF), wherein the protein is provided in an amount sufficient to induce an immune response in an individual administered the composition. 
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the surface or excreted protein comprises prostate specific antigen (PSA). 
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1 , comprising about 50 μg PSA, about 2 μg CEA, about 1000 IU CA 125, about 20,000 units IL-2, and about 16.7 μg GM-CSF, per 100 μL of composition. 
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the surface or excreted protein comprises CA 125 or CA 15-3, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the surface or excreted protein is selected from prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA), CA 27.29, α-feto protein (AFP), estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2/neu), lipid-associated sialic acid in plasma (LASA-P), CA 72-4, bladder tumor antigen (BTA), tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA), neuron specific enolase (NSE), chromogranin A, CA 19-9, CA 50, calcitonin, thyroglobulin, S-100, tumor associated antigen 90 (TA-90), β-2 microglobulin, nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP 22), β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG), and chromogranin A (CgA). 
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the IL is selected from IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 IL-7, IL-9, IL-12, IL-13, IL-14 and IL-15. 
     
     
         7 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the CSF is selected from GM-CSF, G-CSF and M-CSF. 
     
     
         8 . The composition of  claim 1 , comprising IL-2 and GM-CSF. 
     
     
         9 . The composition of  claim 1 , which further comprises at least one additional purified protein associated with the type of cancer. 
     
     
         10 . The composition of  claim 1 , which comprises about 1 μg to about 1000 μg of the protein per 100 μL of the composition. 
     
     
         11 . The composition of  claim 10 , which comprises about 1 μg to about 250 μg of the protein per 100 μL of the composition. 
     
     
         12 . The composition of  claim 9 , which comprises about 1 μg to about 1000 μg of each protein per 100 μL of the composition. 
     
     
         13 . The composition of  claim 12 , which comprises about 1 μg to about 250 μg of the protein per 100 μL of the composition. 
     
     
         14 . The composition of  claim 1 , which comprises about 0.3 μg to about 3 μg of interleukin and about 10 to about 100 μg of CSF per 100 μL of composition. 
     
     
         15 . The composition of  claim 14 , which comprises about 0.3 μg to about 3 μg of interleukin and about 15 to about 20 μg of CSF per 100 μL of composition. 
     
     
         16 . The composition of  claim 9 , which comprises about 0.6 μg to about 1.8 μg of interleukin and about 10 to about 100 μg of CSF per 100 μL of composition. 
     
     
         17 . The composition of  claim 16 , which comprises about 0.6 μg to about 1.8 μg of interleukin and about 15 μg to about 20 μg of CSF per 100 μL of composition. 
     
     
         18 . A method for treating an individual comprising administering to an individual having a type of cancer, a therapeutically effective amount of a composition of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         19 . A method for inducing an immunotherapeutic response in an individual comprising administering to an individual diagnosed with a type of cancer a therapeutically effective amount of composition of  claim 1 , wherein composition comprises the purified surface or excreted protein in an amount sufficient to induce an immunotherapeutic response in the individual.