Therapeutic metastatic prostate cancer vaccines: lessons learnt from urologic oncology

INTRODUCTION: Therapeutic cancer vaccines have been recognized as a promising treatment option in clinical oncology for nearly three decades. However, despite many efforts, only one cancer vaccine – sipuleucel-T, activating the anti-PAP (prostatic acid phosphatase) immune response, has obtained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This review describes the most advanced research on the use of therapeutic cancer vaccines in the treatment of prostate cancer. RESULTS: In addition to sipuleucel-T, which was approved in urologic oncology in 2010, four cancer vaccines were and have been tested in phase III clinical trials in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC): GVAX (prostate cancer variant) containing irradiated prostate cancer cell, PPV peptide vaccine, PCVAC/PCa dendritic cell-based vaccine and PROSTVAC anti PSA (prostate-specific antigen) vaccine. This review compares the most promising and best-studied cancer vaccines: sipuleucel-T and PROSTVAC. Currently, both vaccines have been tested in combination with other therapeutic approaches, including check point inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: It seems possible that the efficacy of sipuleucel-T and PROSTVAC could be increased in combination therapy with other medications.