Development of dendritic-cell based prostate cancer vaccine

Available treatments 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. One of the newest advances in ca ncer immunotherapy is the use of dendritic cells as the vehicle to deliver cancer antigens for an effective in vivo T cell activation. The development of dendritic cell-based prostate cancer vaccine, as well as results of sev eral clinical trials in prostate cancel involving the administration of pep tide-pulsed autologous dendritic cell pulsed are discussed. (C) 2000 Publis hed by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.