Viral Oncoprotein Targeted Autologous T Cell Therapy for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the safety and potential toxicities associated with treating patients with metastatic merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) by combined myosin heavy chain (MHC) up-regulation therapy and adoptive transfer of merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) T-antigen (TAg)-specific polyclonal autologous cluster of differentiation (CD)8+ T cells. II. Determine the antitumor efficacy associated with treating patients with metastatic MCC by combined MHC up-regulation therapy and adoptive transfer of MCPyV TAg-specific polyclonal autologous CD8+ T cells. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the in vivo persistence and where evaluable, migration to tumor sites of adoptively transferred polyclonal CD8+ T cells targeting the MCPyV TAg. II. Determine the in vivo functional capacity of adoptively transferred polyclonal CD8+ T cells targeting the MCPyV TAg. OUTLINE: Patients undergo radiation therapy or recombinant interferon beta intralesional injection within day -3 to day -1. Patients receive MCPyV TAg-specific polyclonal autologous CD8-positive T cell vaccine intravenously (IV) on day 1 and aldesleukin subcutaneously (SC) every 12 hours on days 1-14. Treatment repeats at least every 28 days for up to 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with continued presence of detectable metastatic disease 8 weeks after the first infusion may repeat the treatment regimen including radiation therapy or recombinant interferon beta injection. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months.