Vaccination of Follicular Lymphomas With Tumor-Derived Immunoglobulin Idiotype

The idiotype of the immunoglobulin on a given B cell malignancy (Id) can serve as a clonal marker, and a previous pilot study in lymphoma patients has demonstrated that autologous Id protein can be formulated into an immunogenic, tumor specific antigen by conjugation to a carrier protein (KLH) and administration with an emulsion-based adjuvant. The objectives of this study are: 1) to evaluate feasibility and toxicity of new vaccine formulations, and 2) to evaluate cellular and humoral immune responses against the unique idiotype of the patient's lymphoma. The goal of this study is to treat patients with follicular lymphomas to complete remission or minimal residual disease with chemotherapy. Six to twelve months after completion of chemotherapy, in an effort to reduce the relapse rate (by eradicating microscopic disease resistant to chemotherapy), patients will receive one of two new formulations of an autologous Id vaccine.