Immunotherapy Gives Hope to Prostate Cancer Patients

About 30% of men with stage 4 prostate cancer will survive for 5 years or more after their diagnosis.

Immunotherapy is a treatment option for cancer that utilizes the body's immune system of the body to identify and destroy cancer cells. It is often used as a standard treatment in several cancers, including melanomas. Immunotherapy is still being tested on many other cancers with promising outcomes. For the first time, there has been an immunotherapy drug for prostate cancer.

A recent major trial involving an immunotherapy drug has shown to be effective in patients with advanced prostate cancer who had shown no response to standard treatment options. Some of the men with poor prognosis remained well after the trial.

The drug has also been proven effective in wadding off advanced forms of head and neck cancers for two years.

A study observed that;

• Advanced prostate cancer patients responded positively to Pembrolizumab and had their tumors shrink and disappear. 
• Some of them showed much improvement, and most lived for eight months using the drug. 
• During phase II of the trial, patients with cancer that had mutations in DNA repair genes responded well to treatment. Researchers are investigating this group to see if they will benefit from the immunotherapy in a much larger trial. A test will be needed to identify patients who will respond best.

These studies are offering hope for patients with other cancers that immunotherapy hasn’t been able to treat. With the growing number of research studies taking place, oncologists expect more breakthroughs, especially in hard to treat cancers.

New advancements in prostate cancer treatment are emerging, with researchers working to ensure the disease becomes less deadly. In the near future, patients will receive the best care possible with more possibilities for cure.