Letter to the editor Heat Shock Protein Peptide Complex-96 (HSPPC-96) Vaccination for Recurrent Glioblastoma: A Phase II, Single Arm Trial

We would like to thank Dr. Chamberlain for his thoughtful critique of our study and for highlighting the merits and limitations of an autologous heat-shock protein based vaccine for recurrent glio-blastoma (GBM). We reported the results of a phase II, single arm trial of a heat shock protein peptide complex-96 (HSPPC 96) vaccine in patients who underwent complete resection of recurrent GBM. Chamberlain comments on the applicability of this therapy to all patients with recurrent GBM, estimating that only 15 % of patients would meet the eligibility criteria of having a complete surgical resection. Although the requirement of repeat surgical re-section with the goal of near-total tumor removal is a limitation of nearly all vaccine-based therapies for recurrent GBM, the true rate at which this can be accomplished is much greater than 15%. At most U.S. tertiary care centers, including all four center