Experimental vaccine trains immune system to attack kidney tumors

NCT ID NCT00458536

Completed Disease control Sponsor: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 30, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tested a personalized vaccine made from a patient's own tumor cells fused with immune cells (dendritic cells) to treat stage IV kidney cancer. The vaccine was given with a drug called GM-CSF to boost immune response. The main goal was to check safety and side effects in 38 participants, and to see if the vaccine triggered an immune response against the cancer.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: dendritic cell/tumor fusion vaccine with GM-CSF
What this could lead to: If successful, this approach could point toward a new way to stimulate the immune system to fight advanced kidney cancer.
What could go wrong: This is an early-phase trial with only 38 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The vaccine is personalized and complex, and side effects or lack of immune response are possible.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

kidney cancer renal carcinoma renal cell carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

RENAL CANCER

Contacts and locations

Locations

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.