SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2004 - Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

C L I N I C A L O N C O L O G Y R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M
cal trial with the B7.1 vaccine were incurable and
had an expected survival of less than six months.
Due to the therapy, however, 30 percent of the
patients achieved disease stabilization or response
and at least three patients now have survived for
more than two years, with a median survival of
18 months for the whole group. Dr. Raez will
begin the phase I trial with the allogeneic tumor
vaccine gp-96 for patients with lung cancer soon
after FDA approval. This vaccine is more immunogenic
than the B7.1 used before. In mice, it
has been shown to have a stronger immune response.
Due to his gp-96 vaccine project and the
success of the B7.1 vaccine, Dr. Raez was granted
a “Research Career Development Award” in 2002
by the American Society of Clinical Oncology
(ASCO) with funds to support his research for
three years.
Dr. Raez and his colleagues recently received
Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP)
approval for a phase I clinical trial with a new
drug called cytochlor (NSC 371331), a potent
radiation sensitizer, which was discovered by
Sheldon Greer, Ph.D., at the University of Miami.
Dr. Raez and Dr. Greer will treat patients
with radiation therapy with the goal to improve
response and prevent relapse. Dr. Raez also was
awarded the 2002-2003 Stanley J. Glaser Foundation
Biomedical Research Award and funding
for the cytochlor project. Additionally, CTEP has
approved the project and will provide funding
and drug production for its development.
Dr. Raez also works with Theodore J.
Lampidis, Ph.D., in developing the first phase I
trial in humans with the combination of 2-DG
with chemotherapy. 2-DG has a novel mechanism
of action focused in the destruction of slowgrowing
cells in the core of the tumors where
conventional chemotherapy and radiation have
not worked, which already has been proven by
Dr. Lampidis’ research. Dr. Raez also has been
trying to find the prognostic role of c-Kit, Bag-1,
and CEACAM-1 in lung cancer, trying to correlate
it with clinical responses and survival.
Dr. Raez also has initiated several important
clinical trials with new compounds for lung and
head and neck cancers with Cpt-11, oxaliplatin,
capecitabine, and Velcade, among others.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2003
Santos, ES, Raez, LE, Salvatierra, J,
Morgensztern, D, Shanmugan, N, and Neff, GW.
Primary hepatic non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas: a
case report and review of the literature. American
Journal of Gastroenterology (Review) 98:2789-
93, 2003.
Raez LE, Cassileth, PA, Schlesselman, JJ,
Padmanabhan, S, Fisher, EZ, Baldie, PA, Sridhar,
K, and Podack , ER. Induction of CD8 T-cell-Ifngamma
response and positive clinical outcome
after immunization with gene-modified allogeneic
tumor cells in advanced non-small-cell lung
carcinoma. Cancer Gene Therapy 10:850-58,
2003.
Santos, ES, Raez, LE, Kharfan-Dabaja, MA,
Angulo, J, Restrepo, A, and Byrnes, JJ. Survival
of renal allograft following de novo hemolytic
uremic syndrome after kidney transplantation.
Transplantation Proceedings 35:1370-74, 2003.
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UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Scientific Report 2004