Immunotherapy Significantly Prolongs Survival in Men With Advanced Prostate Cancer

Sipuleucel-T (Provenge), an experimental immunotherapy improved survival in men with metastatic disease, according to new results to be presented April 28 at the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago.

Compared to placebo, sipuleucel-T extended median survival by 4.1 months and improved three-year survival by 38 percent, researchers say. Sipuleucel-T successfully exceeded the pre-specified level of statistical significance defined by the study's design and reduced the overall risk of death by 22.5 percent compared to placebo, they add. More than 500 patients were enrolled in the IMPACT trial, a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer. The primary endpoint was overall survival, researchers find.

Researchers are encouraged by the findings, citing an impressive effect on long-term survival for patients, compared to placebo.

"The ability to boost survival for patients is the gold standard endpoint in prostate cancer clinical trials," says AUA spokesperson Dr. Ira Sharlip, MD. "The ability to give these patients both increased survival and possibly, improved quality of life, is very important."

Sipuleucel-T is an investigational therapy for men with androgen-independent prostate cancer. It is an active cellular immunotherapy designed to use live human cells to boost a patient's immune system to elicit a long-lasting response against cancer.

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