The landmark approval of Provenge, what it means to immunology and 'in this issue': the complex relation between vaccines and autoimmunity.

摘要

Before introducing this issue's focus and somewhat related to the topic of dendritic cells that we just hosted in the previous issue, we are marking a significant milestone for immunotherapy: the approval in the United States of the first active immunotherapy for cancer (or "cancer vaccine"), Provenge (sipuleucel-T), for the treatment of men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic, castrate-resistant (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer. Provenge is a personalized vaccine encompassing patient's ex vivo processed dendritic cells expressing a key tumor antigen (prostate acid phosphatase), which showed in late-stage randomized trials a statistically significant survival extension of at least 4 months at an overall survival of about 20 months in this patient population.