Julie Graff, MD, assistant professor of medicine, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, discusses the treatment of prostate cancer.

Currently there is one FDA-approved immunotherapy, sipuleucel-T (Provenge). There are other vaccines in development, as well as trials of checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, Graff adds.

In the next 5 to 10 years, Graff predicts that results from these studies will create more options for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer.

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Julie Graff, MD, assistant professor of medicine, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, discusses the treatment of prostate cancer.
 

Dr. Graff Discusses the Treatment of Prostate Cancer

Julie Graff, MD, assistant professor of medicine, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, discusses the role of checkpoint inhibitors and PARP inhibitors for patients with prostate cancer.

According to Graff, there is potential for CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1 to move into prostate cancer. However, there are 2 negative studies of ipilimumab (Yervoy). Therefore, that may not move forward unless it is combined with another therapy or patients are molecularly tested and it is determined as an appropriate form of therapy. There are multiple studies looking at PD-1 therapies in combination.

Additionally, PARP inhibition for patients with tumors expressing DNA-repair defects is very promising, explains Graff. There is a trial out of the National Cancer Institute looking at the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) with the PD-1 inhibitor durvalumab (Imfinzi) that is showing promising results.

Dr. Graff on the Role of Checkpoint Inhibitors in Prostate Cancer

Julie Graff, MD, assistant professor of medicine, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, discusses sipuleucel-T (Provenge) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Sipuleucel-T is well tolerated in this population, says Graff. Some patients have some itching or a slight fever, but both are both easily managed.

Although it has shown benefit, one of the challenges with sipuleucel-T is that it does not shrink tumors, Graff adds.

Julie Graff, MD, assistant professor of medicine, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, discusses sipuleucel-T (Provenge) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Julie Graff, MD

Articles

Dr. Graff Discusses the Treatment of Prostate Cancer

Dr. Graff on the Role of Checkpoint Inhibitors in Prostate Cancer

Dr. Graff Discusses Sipuleucel-T in Patients With mCRPC