The future of immunotherapy in prostate cancer

Two active immunotherapy approaches for prostate cancer have progressed to phase III trials that are either completed (sipuleucel-T) or ongoing (GVAX). Published data on a completed trial of sipuleucel-T report a significant survival benefit[23]-a notable first for the field. Future immunotherapy approaches for prostate cancer will almost certainly combine active immunotherapy with either antitumor monoclonal antibodies or with coinhibitor blockade to augment efficacy. As discussed above, the area of specific antigen identification remains relatively open, providing encouragement for the development of more directed targeting approaches. Finally, it is worth noting that a large number of diverse active immunotherapy approaches are in active clinical and preclinical development. These include DNA vectors,[24] attenuated viral vectors,[25] loaded dendritic cells,[26] and novel vectors based on attenuated bacterial vectors.[27] Taken together, these observations con-firm Dr. Slovin's assertion that immunotherapy is likely to emerge as a viable treatment option for patients with prostate cancer.