Prostate cancer immunotherapy: the path forward

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Urology

Background:

• Prostate cancer immunotherapy development initiated with sipuleucel-T approval in 2010.
• Recent immune checkpoint inhibitor trials show limited efficacy in phase III and smaller studies.
• The tumor microenvironment in prostate cancer exhibits multiple checkpoint inhibitors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current strategies in prostate cancer immunotherapy development.
• To highlight the need for combination immunotherapy approaches.

Main Methods:

• Review of preclinical and clinical data.
• Analysis of ongoing clinical trials.

Main Results:

• Sipuleucel-T marked the beginning of prostate cancer immunotherapy in 2010.
• Immune checkpoint inhibitors alone have shown underwhelming results in advanced prostate cancer.
• Combination strategies involving androgen deprivation, chemotherapy, or radiation are being investigated.

Conclusions:

• Preclinical and clinical evidence supports combination immune-based therapies for prostate cancer.
• Several clinical trials are ongoing to determine the future of prostate cancer immunotherapy.