Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients with Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor That is Recurrent or Cannot Be Removed by Surgery

This phase I trial studies the side effects and the best dose of a vaccine therapy in treating patients with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent). Vaccines made from a gene-modified virus may kill tumor cells expressing a gene called neurofibromin 1 (NF1) without affecting surrounding normal cells and may also help the body build an effective immune response to kill tumor cells.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of intratumoral administration of an Edmonston strain measles virus genetically engineered to express neurofibromatosis type 1 (NIS) (oncolytic measles virus encoding thyroidal sodium iodide symporter \[MV-NIS\]) in patients with inoperable or recurrent malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST). II. To determine the safety and toxicity of intratumoral administration of MV-NIS in patients with inoperable recurrent MPNST. III. To preliminarily assess antitumor efficacy of intratumoral MV-NIS administration by the rate of progression-free survival at 3 months, achieved by following radiographic response of the treated lesion using World Health Organization (WHO) response criteria guidelines. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the time course of viral gene expression and virus elimination and biodistribution of virally infected cells at various time points after infection with MV-NIS using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) imaging. II. To assess viremia, viral replication, and measles virus shedding/persistence following intratumoral administration. III. To determine humoral and cellular immune response to the injected virus. IV. To assess the quality-of-life of patients treated with MV-NIS, using two inventories (Pain and Fatigue). V. To assess time to progression and differences in growth rates between treated and untreated tumor lesions. VI. To assess the overall survival time of patients treated with MV-NIS. OUTLINE: Patients receive MV-NIS intratumorally on day 1. Patients also undergo SPECT/CT at baseline and at 3 and 8 days after MV-NIS. Patients may also undergo SPECT/CT at 15 and 28 days, and at 6 weeks based on whether there is uptake on prior imaging studies. Patients also undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound imaging, blood sample collection and tissue biopsy throughout the trial. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.