Cancer treatment by dendritic cells therapy in Belarus
Immunotherapy with dendritic cells - one of the promising new approaches to the treatment of cancer is the use of autologous dendritic cells.
Dendritic cells are a special link in the immune system. Their function is to search for structures that are foreign to the body (such as tumor cells), and the subsequent "training" of T-lymphocytes, which then directionally destroy the malignant cells.
For a number of reasons, dendritic cells in the patient’s body do not always fully perform their function. Therefore, the idea of immunotherapy is to obtain dendritic cells in laboratory conditions from autologous (own) monocytes or stem cells of the patient, their priming with tumor antigens and reinfusion to the patient. Thus, the patient receives his own cells that are already "trained" to fight the tumor.
Treatment procedure
1. Consultation and examination
To develop treatment tactics and determine the vaccination schedule, a specialist is consulted - an oncologist at the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy. A compulsory medical examination is also required.
2. Biomaterial intake
The biomaterial for obtaining the cell product based on dendritic cells is peripheral venous blood (50-100 ml). The biomaterial is taken in a treatment room. From a single volume of blood, 1 dose of the vaccine is produced. The number of dendritic cells is determined by the number of native monocytes in the patient’s biomaterial - with their low content in the blood, the number of DCs will also be low.
3. Cell product manufacturing
Monocytes isolated from blood are “loaded” with tumor antigens in the laboratory, which allows one to obtain mature dendritic cells that can activate the immune response. Individual, native tumor antigens (tumor lysates), as well as synthetic standardized tumor-associated antigens, are used as the antigenic material for creating the vaccine.
4. Cell product transplantation
A DC-based antitumor vaccine is administered in a course of 5 therapeutic doses. The introduction of the vaccine (1-2 ml) is performed subcutaneously in the shoulder or forearm, and is performed on an outpatient basis in a treatment room.
Programs and cost of treatment
1. Blood sampling of 50-100 ml at a time (one or two doses) ~ cell growth for 1 week ~ subcutaneous injection in the forearm of one dose.
The course consists of 5 introductions with an interval of one week. Blood is taken 5 times (for each new dose).
2. Blood sampling 300-400 ml at a time (for the entire course of treatment) ~ cell growth for 1 week ~ subcutaneous injection in the forearm of one dose.
The course consists of 5 introductions with an interval of 2-4 days. Blood is taken once for the entire course of treatment.
Cost of dendritic cells therapy is $10500.
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