Synergistic effects of immunotherapy and adjunctive therapies in prostate cancer management

Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2024 Dec 26:104604. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104604. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

In recent years, cancer immunotherapy has received widespread attention due to significant tumor clearance in some malignancies. Various immunotherapy approaches, including vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic virotherapy, bispecific T cell engagers, and adoptive T cell transfer, have completed or are undergoing clinical trials for prostate cancer. Despite immune checkpoint blockade's extraordinary effectiveness in treating a variety of cancers, targeted prostate cancer treatment using the immune system is still in its infancy. Multiple factors including the heterogeneity of prostate cancer, the cold tumor microenvironment, and a low level of neoantigens, contribute to the poor immunotherapy response. Significant effort is being devoted to improving immune-based prostate cancer therapy. Recently, several key discoveries demonstrate that prostate cancer immunotherapy agents may be used to promise better prognosis for patients as part of combination strategies with other agents targeting tumor-associated immune mechanism of resistance. Here, this review comprehensively examines the recent advancements in immunotherapy for prostate cancer, exploring its potential synergistic effects when combined with other treatment modalities to enhance clinical efficacy.

Keywords: Adoptive cell therapy; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Immunotherapy; Prostate cancer; vaccine.

Publication types

  • Review