Prostate cancer immunotherapy

The interaction between the immune system and prostate cancer has been an area of research interest for several decades. The recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of 2 first-in-class proof-of-concept immunotherapies (sipuleucel-T and ipilimumab) has stimulated broader interest in manipulating immunity to fight cancer. In the context of prostate cancer, the immunotherapy strategies that have garnered the most interest are the therapeutic vaccination strategies, exemplified by sipuleucel-T and PROSTVAC-VF, and immune checkpoint blockade of CTLA-4 and PD-1. Improved understanding of the immune responses generated by these strategies and development of predictive biomarkers for patient selection will guide rational combinations of these treatments and provide building blocks for future immunotherapies.