CDX-1401 in Combination with Decitabine in Patients with MDS

Meir Wetzler, MD, chief, Leukemia Section, Department of Medicine, Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, discusses a phase I trial that studies the side effects and immune response to DEC-205/NY-ESO-1 fusion protein CDX-1401 and decitabine in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Clinical Pearls:

• This trial is based on data that hypomethylating agents have shown to increase the expression of NY-ESO in patients with solid tumors
• NY-ESO is a cancer-testis antigen that is not expressed significantly in any other malignancies, but its expression goes up in patients with MDS after exposure to hypomethylating agents
• This study will evaluate the safety of the vaccine CDX-1401 when given in combination with decitabine