Treatments available for metastatic prostate cancer have failed to demonstr
ate significant curative potential. Current efforts are now directed toward
s developments of novel strategies for the treatment of metastatic prostate
cancer. Cancer immunotherapeutic strategies utilize patient immune system
components to kill cancer cells. This review discusses progress in active s
pecific immunotherapeutic approaches as potential alternative methods in th
e treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. Various methods of augmenting th
e immune response against prostate cancer are discussed including systemic
cytokine adjuvant therapy, cytokine gene transduced tumor vaccines, non-ant
igen specific immunization, DNA and peptide vaccines plus adjuvants, as wel
l as dendritic cell-based cancer vaccines. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.