Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients Undergoing Surgery for Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme

RATIONALE: Vaccines made from a person's tumor cells and dendritic cells may help the body build an effective immune response to kill tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects of vaccine therapy in treating patients undergoing surgery for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To evaluate the feasibility and safety of an autologous brain tumor stem cell messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-loaded dendritic cell vaccine in adult patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. Secondary * To assess humoral and cellular immune responses to vaccination. * To compare the proportion of vaccinated patients alive at 6 months from the time of surgery for recurrent tumor with matched historical cohorts. OUTLINE: Patients undergo surgical resection of tumor. Tumor tissue samples are collected to isolate brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs) and for extraction and amplification of BTSC-specific mRNA. Within 4 weeks after surgical resection, patients undergo leukapheresis over 4 hours to generate dendritic cells (DCs). Patients also undergo leukapheresis at 1 week after the third vaccination and then at least every 3 months as needed for generation of additional DCs. Patients receive autologous BTSC mRNA-loaded DC vaccine intradermally once weekly for 3 weeks and then once monthly in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically.