Peginterferon and TIL Therapy for Metastatic Melanoma

Adoptive T cell therapy with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has achieved impressive clinical results with durable complete responses in patients with metastatic melanoma. The TILs are isolated from the patients own tumor tissue followed by in vitro expansion and activation for around 4-6 weeks. Before TIL infusion the patients receive 1 week of preconditioning chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine. After TIL infusion Interleukin-2 are administered to support T cell activation and proliferation in vivo. In this trial the therapy is combined with peginterferon (the pegylated form of interferon alpha 2b). Interferon alpha has immunomodulatory effects and is known to upregulate HLA expression on melanoma cells and are hypothesized to synergize with TIL therapy.