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Updated: Dec 27, 2025
A Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Orthotopic Syngeneic Murine Model of Androgen-dependent and Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
Published on: March 6, 2018
Immunotherapy for castration-resistant prostate cancer: has its time arrived?
1Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract:
Introduction: Within the last decade, multiple innovative immune platforms have been developed and tested in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with only one demonstrating a survival benefit. The advent of immunogenomics along with the availability of diverse checkpoint inhibitors provides inroads in treating these patients, in many cases with significant clinical impact but unfortunately not in all patients. How to exploit these novel platforms remains an area of increased interest especially in the setting of new agents that can affect the tumor microenvironment and potentially render a 'cold' tumor to become 'hot.'Areas covered: This review highlights the current changes and challenges in this field and how to best use our current knowledge for better trial designs in patients with mCRPC.Expert opinion: Recent understanding of the inhibitory milieu within the tumor microenvironment has fostered the use of combinatorial strategies that target not only tumor cells but capitalize on controlling inhibitory cell populations and cytokines that induce a hostile setting for immune cells. Immunogenomics and genomic interrogation of prostate cancers have opened a vista as to how patients' tumors that can respond to immune agents that previously were thought have minimal antitumor activity.
Insights
Innovative immune platforms show promise for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Further research into immunogenomics and combinatorial strategies is crucial for improving treatment outcomes in mCRPC patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Genetics
Background:
- Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has limited treatment options with survival benefit.
- Novel immune platforms and checkpoint inhibitors offer potential but not universally effective treatments.
- Understanding the tumor microenvironment is key to improving immunotherapy efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current advancements and challenges in immunotherapy for mCRPC.
- To discuss strategies for optimizing clinical trial designs.
- To explore the role of immunogenomics in predicting treatment response.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent studies on mCRPC immunotherapies.
- Analysis of immunogenomic data and tumor microenvironment characteristics.
- Discussion of emerging combinatorial treatment strategies.
Main Results:
- Only one immune platform has demonstrated a survival benefit in mCRPC patients.
- Immunogenomics and checkpoint inhibitors have shown clinical impact in some patients.
- New agents can alter the tumor microenvironment, potentially converting 'cold' tumors to 'hot'.
Conclusions:
- Combinatorial strategies targeting tumor cells and the inhibitory tumor microenvironment are promising.
- Genomic interrogation of prostate cancer aids in identifying responsive tumors for immunotherapy.
- Further research is needed to refine treatment approaches and improve patient outcomes.
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