1 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Patients have a type of lymph gland cancer called Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin Lymphoma which has come back or not gone away after treatment, including the best treatment known for relapsed Lymphoma. Patients are being asked to volunteer to be in a research study using Epstein Barr virus specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes, a new experimental therapy. This therapy has never been used in patients with Hodgkin disease or this type of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma but it has been used successfully in children with other types of blood cancer caused by EBV after bone marrow transplantation. Some patients with Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin Lymphoma show evidence of infection with the virus that causes infectious mononucleosis Epstein Barr virus before or at the time of their diagnosis of the Lymphoma. EBV is often found in the cancer cells suggesting that it may play a role in causing Lymphoma. The cancer cells infected by EBV are very clever because they are able to hide from the body's immune system and escape destruction. Investigators want to see if it's possible to grow special white blood cells, called T cells, that have been trained to kill EBV infected cells. Purpose The purpose of this study is to find the largest safe dose of EBV specific cytotoxic T cells, to learn what the side effects are and to see whether this therapy might help patients with Hodgkin disease and non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.