Pilot Study of GVAX in Colorectal Cancer Cells

Study Summary

This study is a Pilot clinical trial. Pilot clinical trials test the safety of an investigational combination of drugs. Pilot studies provide information on what effects, both good and bad, the Investigational agent might have on your disease. "Investigational" means that the intervention is still being studied and that research doctors are trying to find out more about it. It also means that the FDA has not approved the treatment for your type of cancer. The main purposes of this study are to determine: * The amount of vaccine that can be made for your colorectal tumor cells * If the vaccine can be given safely * What the effects of the vaccine are, both good and bad * How the vaccine affects your immune system * Whether this vaccine might have any effect on the return of your cancer in the liver after surgical removal This study is being done because there are currently no treatments which have demonstrated to cure diseae which has progressed, or moved beyond the site of the primary site of disease (colon or rectum). These vaccinations will be given after you have completed the standard of care treatment as determined by your doctor. Laboratory research has made vaccines from cancer cells by inserting genetic material from a protein called granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) into the cancer cell. Once complete, the cancer cells are able to produce large amounts of GM-CSF. The vaccine made form these cells has a greater anti-tumor effect than cancer cells without GM-CSF. The purpose of this research study is to determine the safety of an investigational vaccine that will be made using your own colorectal cancer cells in the manner described above. This vaccine has been used in several other research studies for treatment for other cancers (skin, lung, ovarian, sarcoma and leukemia.) Information from these other research studies suggests that this vaccine may help to reduce the risk of your colorectal cancer returning after you have your c

Primary Outcome

To determine the safety of 6 vaccinations with lethally irradiated, autologous colorectal cancer cells engineered by adenoviral mediated gene transfer to secrete GM-CSF in stage IV colorectal cancer patients who are completely resected. Patient safety will be assured by monitoring the number of patients who fail to receive the first six scheduled vaccinations because of toxicity. If three or more patients experience grade 4 or worse toxicity due to the vaccine before completing six immunizations

Interventions

• BIOLOGICAL GVAX