I want to apologize because I have not posted anything in the last few days. I thank the few people who sent an e-mail expressing concern. On Friday evening I flew to San Diego with my wife to participate in the American Association of Cancer Researchers (AACR) Scientist-Survivor program.

It is a really fantastic program of which I will write more about in the very near future. They have kept me very busy from 7a.m. to 10 p.m. so there hasn’t been a lot of time to research and write. I will be here until Thursday morning so I will probably not be adding much until I get back to a regular schedule.

I did notice this one item this morning that I think is very important and so I want to share it.

Last Friday Cell Genesys announced data from a completed Phase I/II clinical trial of GVAX its developing immunotherapy for prostate cancer. Their findings showed a statistically significant increase in median prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSA velocity) as well as the formation of prostate cancer-associated antibodies in 79% of the subjects.

GVAX was given to men with recurrent prostate cancer who hadn’t yet received treatment with hormone replacement therapy following relapse after primary treatment for prostate cancer using surgery and/or radiation.

Cell Genesys is now planning a larger, randomized study to further examine the potential application of GVAX in this patient population, and is currently conducting a study evaluating the treatment in combination with docetaxel (chemo-therapy) as a pre-operative therapy in men with high-risk prostate cancer.

The potential for immunotherapy in the prostate cancer world is significant. To learn more about a prostate cancer vaccine (immunotherapy) and the impact it can have on us read my many posts about Provenge. Any of these posts are written for the lay person and describe in general terms what prostate cancer immunotherapy is and the significant potential it holds.

This type of therapy promises to become the therapy of the future. We hear about personalized medicine, this is it. It will still take many years to see GVAX being reviewed by the FDA, but this how it will come about.

Hopefully we will have Provenge in the next year or two and then quickly on its heels GVAX.

From Sunny San Diego,
Joel T Nowak MA, MSW