There is some really exciting news on the horizon around immunotherapy for advanced prostate cancer. Bavarian Nordic, the pharmaseutical company that has, along with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), been running clinical trials on Prostvac has unoffically let it been known that Prostvac when combined with another investigational immunologic therapy, Yervoy, has helped to significantly extend survival in men with advanced prostate cancer. This finding which will formally be announced this Thursday at the ASCO GU Meeting in Orlando Florida results from a small early-stage trial conducted by the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
This very small study of 30 men was conducted on men with castrate resistant prostate cancer. The trial involved treating the men with the Prostvac vaccine, in addition to escalating doses of Bristol-Myers Squibb Yervoy, an approved injectable treatment for advanced melanoma that works by taking the brakes off the body’s immune system.
They found that on the average, men taking both drugs survived 31.3 months, compared with a predicted survival period of 18.5 months that had been based on historical survival data for older chemotherapy treatments. Among the 15 men who received the highest 10 milligram dose of Yervoy in combination with Prostvac, 20 percent remained alive at 80 months.
What really makes this even more interesting is that Yervoy had previously failed in Bristol-Myers’ own trials to prolong survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer. This was not a combination trial, but evaluated Yervoy as a single treatment.
Yervoy is one of a number of emerging immuno-oncology drugs called PD-1 inhibitors. These PD-1 inhibitors are expected to have greatest effectiveness when used in combination as it was in this trial. The PD1-inhibitors make cancer cells more visible to the immune system, removing their natural camouflage.
Immune therapies hold the potential to change the face of cancer treatment as they support the bodies own, natural systems to fight cancer. As a result they are also blessed with imparting minimal side effects.
Joel T. Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.
Joel,
I’ve read that a phase 2 trial of Yervoy with Prostvac is in the works and I’m trying to find out more information or how to be included in the trial. Do you know who to contact about this? There is nothing up on clinicaltrials.gov yet.
Thanks!
Mike, This trial of 30 men has been completed. I don’t believe that there is currently any other trials recruiting that are similar in nature, but Bavarian Nordic does have an exclusive agreement with Bristol Myers, so we might see some additional trials in the future. I will follow up with a contact at BN and see if I can find any additional information. – Joel
Thank you so much!
I am also extremely interested by this upcoming trial (Yervoy+ Prostvac). We are now looking at a trial with Enzalutamide +- Prostvac, but we want to get ready in case it does not work out. Do you know any other immunotherapy trial coming up for castrate-resistant prostate cancer?
Ant info is very welcome. Thanks a lot.
Nadine,
The best way for you find clinical trials is to go to http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. In the search box put in prostate cancer immunotherapy. If you want to drill down to just one specific drug or a combination search for the drug names and prostate cancer. – Joel
Mike,
I received the following reply from my contact at Bavarian Nordic,
“Unfortunately, we do not have anything in the planning stages for a PROSTVAC plus Ipi combo trial that I can share at this time. But as was discussed Saturday night this is clearly an area of interest for us. If/when one is in the planning stages I will definitely let you know. NCI has the enzalutamide combo trial https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01867333?term=prostvac&rank=10, But nothing currently with a checkpoint inhibitor.
Joel
Thanks Joel for all your care and help! Like us all I am just trying to make down the road as long as I can and looking forward to the myriad of upcoming new treatments.