Vaccine immunotherapy for prostate cancer: from mice to men.

Preclinical studies demonstrated the ability of an adenovirus/PSA (Ad/PSA) vaccine to induce strong anti-PSA immune responses, and these responses were capable of destroying prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-secreting mouse prostate tumors. A series of preclinical studies have demonstrated the superiority of the Ad/PSA vaccine to other PSA vaccines for the induction of anti-PSA immune responses, the ability of Ad/PSA vaccination combined with cytokine gene therapy and the TLR9 agonist CpG to enhance the anti-prostate tumor immunotherapy, and the reduction of negative regulatory elements when the vaccine was combined with 5-fluoruracil administration. A phase I clinical trial of the Ad/PSA vaccine in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer demonstrated the safety of the vaccine even at the highest single dose permitted by the FDA.

Evaluating the clinical effectiveness of 90Y-SMT 487 in patients with neuroendocrine tumors.

Unlabelled: Because of the presence of cell membrane somatostatin receptors (SSTRs), many neuroendocrine tumors will bind analogs of somatostatin. (90)Y-Dodecanetetraacetic acid-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (SMT 487) is an SSTR radiopharmaceutical currently under investigation as a therapeutic option for neuroendocrine tumors. Although there are a variety of methods for evaluating response to a given cancer therapy, an important indicator of success is the impact on the clinical status of the patient.

Assessment of hepatic toxicity from treatment with 90Y-SMT 487 (OctreoTher(TM)) in patients with diffuse somatostatin receptor positive liver metastases.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is evidence for hepatocellular radiation injury following treatment with (90)Y-SMT487 ((90)Y-DOTA-tyr3-octreotide, OctreoTher(TM)) in patients with extensive liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumors. Patients reported in this study participated in a Phase II trial of efficacy and safety of (90)Y-SMT487. The trial design called for three treatment cycles of 120 mCi each (4400 MBq) of (90)Y-SMT487.