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Several lines of investigation have revealed the apparent interplay between the immune system of the host and many conventional, "standard-of-care" anticancer therapies, including chemotherapy and small molecule targeted therapeutics. In particular, preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated the important role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in inhibiting immune responses elicited by immunotherapeutic regimens such as those based on anticancer vaccines or checkpoint inhibitors. However, how the number and immunosuppressive function of Tregs change in cancer patients undergoing treatment with non-immune anticancer therapies remains to be precisely elucidated. To determine whether immunostimulatory therapies can be employed successfully in combination with conventional anticancer regimens, we have investigated both the number and function of Tregs obtained from the peripheral blood of carcinoma patients before the initiation and during the course of chemotherapeutic and targeted agent regimens. Our studies show that the treatment of breast cancer patients with tamoxifen plus leuprolide, a gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist, has minimal effects on Tregs, while sunitinib appears to exert differential effects on Tregs among patients with metastatic renal carcinoma. However, the administration of docetaxel to patients with metastatic prostate or breast cancer, as well as that of cisplatin plus vinorelbine to non-small cell lung cancer patients, appears to significantly increase the ratio between effector T cells and Tregs and to reduce the immunosuppressive activity of the latter in the majority of patients. These studies provide the rationale for the selective use of active immunotherapy regimens in combination with specific standard-of-care therapies to achieve the most beneficial clinical outcome among carcinoma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ONJ is an important toxicity in cancer patients receiving bisphosphonate therapy. Here we report a higher than usual incidence of ONJ, 11 of 60 (18.3%, 95% Confidence Interval, CI: 9%-28%) patients enrolled in a phase II clinical trial combining bevacizumab, docetaxel, thalidomide, and prednisone (ATTP) in chemotherapy-naive men with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The use of bisphosphonates was allowed at study entry. Our study suggests that anti-angiogenic and chemotherapy agents can predispose to the development of ONJ in men with mCRPC on zoledronic acid. Imaging modalities, such as bone scans, may be useful in following the clinical course of patients who develop ONJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have recently performed the first comprehensive study of the potential immunosuppressive role of soluble CD40L (sCD40L). In addition, we demonstrated that serum sCD40L can potentially be used as an indicator of response to anticancer therapy, and/or to better identify those patients who would have best chances to benefit from tumortargeting vaccines or other therapeutic modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostvac is a poxviral-based vaccine designed to target prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in prostate cancer patients. Recently, the potential toxicity and immunological impact of this immunotherapy were reviewed in the context of new clinical data. Our findings suggest that Prostvac is safe and elicits anticancer immune responses, both alone and in combinatorial approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]