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Cancer therapy is undergoing a revolution fueled by clinical data demonstrating that the immune system has significant anti-tumor capability. Although the main focus of this revolution currently rests upon immune checkpoint inhibitors in diseases such as melanoma, lung and bladder cancer, it was actually a therapeutic cancer vaccine in prostate cancer that provided the first data demonstrating that a modern immunotherapy, beyond cytokines, could enhance clinical outcomes. As immunotherapy is poised to take center stage among cancer therapies, the role of cancer vaccines remains somewhat undefined in prostate cancer, though emerging data suggest that vaccines could play a crucial therapeutic role. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

T-cell receptor alternate reading frame protein (TARP) is a 58-residue protein over-expressed in prostate and breast cancer. We investigated TARP peptide vaccination's impact on the rise in PSA (expressed as Slope Log(PSA) or PSA Doubling Time (PSADT)), validated tumor growth measures, and tumor growth rate in men with Stage D0 prostate cancer. HLA-A*0201 positive men were randomized to receive epitope-enhanced (29-37-9V) and wild-type (27-35) TARP peptides administered as a Montanide/GM-CSF peptide emulsion or as an autologous peptide-pulsed dendritic cell vaccine every 3 weeks for a total of five vaccinations with an optional 6th dose of vaccine at 36 weeks based on immune response or PSADT criteria with a booster dose of vaccine for all patients at 48 and 96 weeks. 41 patients enrolled with median on-study duration of 75 weeks at the time of this analysis. Seventy-two percent of patients reaching 24 weeks and 74% reaching 48 weeks had a decreased Slope Log(PSA) compared to their pre-vaccination baseline (p= 0.0012 andp= 0.0004 for comparison of overall changes in Slope Log(PSA), respectively). TARP vaccination also resulted in a 50% decrease in median tumor growth rate (g): pre-vaccineg= 0.0042/day, post-vaccineg= 0.0021/day (p= 0.003). 80% of subjects exhibited new vaccine-induced TARP-specific IFNγ ELISPOT responses but they did not correlate with decreases in Slope Log(PSA). Thus, vaccination with TARP peptides resulted in significant slowing in PSA velocity and reduction in tumor growth rate in a majority of patients with PSA biochemical recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sipuleucel-T is an autologous cellular immunotherapy approved in the US for patients with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This significant advance for mCRPC treatment provides healthcare professionals with another effective therapy to extend survival. As an immunotherapy, sipuleucel-T possesses specific characteristics differentiating it from traditional therapies. At a roundtable meeting of experts, sipuleucel-T data were discussed, focusing on interpretation and clinical implications. Important differences between immunotherapies and traditional therapies were explored, e.g., mode of action, outcomes, data consistency and robustness, timing of sipuleucel-T treatment, and future perspectives in areas such as short-term markers of long-term benefit. [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]