Gene Therapy and Biological Therapy in Treating Patients With Ovarian Epithelial Cancer

RATIONALE: Interleukin-2 may stimulate a person's white blood cells to kill ovarian cancer cells. Interleukin-2 combined with white blood cells that are gene-modified to recognize and kill ovarian cancer cells may be an effective treatment for recurrent or residual ovarian cancer. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of interleukin-2 plus gene-modified white blood cells in treating patients who have advanced ovarian epithelial cancer.

OBJECTIVES: * Determine the clinical response in patients with advanced ovarian epithelial cancer treated with intravenously administered allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cell-stimulated, gene-modified lymphocytes (MOv-PBL). * Evaluate the ability of intravenously administered MOv-PBL to traffic to sites of ovarian cancer. * Determine the duration of survival of transduced lymphocytes in the systemic circulation and at the tumor site in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study. Patients are stratified by eligibility to receive interleukin-2 (IL-2) (yes vs no). Patients undergo leukapheresis. The collected peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) are stimulated with allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) followed by retroviral transduction with antiovarian cancer MOv-gamma chimeric receptor gene (MOv-PBL). MOv-PBL are then reinfused IV over 30-60 minutes followed by IL-2 IV over 15-30 minutes every 12 hours for up to 8 doses (if eligible). This course may be repeated at least once, beginning 2-3 weeks later. Patients receiving allogeneic PBMC-stimulated PBLs receive donor PBMCs subcutaneously at 1 and 8 days after each MOv-PBL infusion instead of IL-2. Cohorts of 3-6 patients in each stratum receive escalating doses of MOv-PBL until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity. An additional 10 patients receive MOv-PBL, without IL-2, followed by immunization with donor PBMCs as above. Patients are followed at 4 and 8 weeks and then periodically for survival. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 13-50 patients will be accrued for this study.