A Therapeutic Vaccine For Advanced Prostate Cancer

Provenge, the first therapeutic vaccine, has been approved by the FDA for metastatic prostate cancer and will be available within the next year to patients who meet the criteria for advanced prostate cancer. The vaccine is different from preventive vaccines which are given to stimulate the immune system to protect people from getting a disease. A therapeutic vaccine is given to help boost the body’s immune system in order to fight specific cancer cells – in this case prostate cancer cells.

The process involves tailoring the the vaccine to each individual. Specifically, some white blood cells, (the cells responsible for our immune system), are removed from the patient’s body and exposed to a protein found on prostate cancer cells. This primes the white blood cells to recognize and attack this specific protein when the vaccine is reinjected into the patient’s body. Then the patient receives a series of 3 injections in a one month period.

This treatment is referred to as “autologous (awe-TALL-o-gus) cellular immunotherapy”. Autologous simply means “coming from the same person” and in this case it refers to therapy/treatment derived from the patient’s own immune cells. This treatment is not meant to replace other treatments for advanced prostate cancer but to support other treatments the patient may be receiving. As mentioned, the treatment is reserved for metastatic prostate cancer but it may be that the drug can be administered sooner in the disease process to more quickly harness the body’s immune system.

So how effective is the vaccine? Well Phase III trials (see my article on melanoma that explains the4 phases of clinical trials ) conducted at cancer treatment centers across the country showed patients survived an average of 4.1months longer, had an improved 3 year survival rate of 38% and had a reduction in the overall risk of death of 22.5%. Because the injections are tailored to each individual, the cost of the treatment will be about $50,000 to $100,000.

Here’s a link to the FDA article about Provenge’s approval. In addition, the FDA has written a handy Q&A sheet about Provenge.

As a family nurse practitioner and quality assurance manager of a busy 5 practice physician group, Margaret Mastrangelo has over 15 years of healthcare experience. In addition, she taught high school English for over a decade in Australia. Margaret has always been fascinated by the human body, why disease and illness occur and the mind-body connection. She is a certified scuba diver and a licensed private pilot and given any opportunity, you’ll find her out flying. In her spare time, she is currently developing a web site providing health information for consumers. Check it out at http://www.proteanservices.com