Dexamethasone did not suppress immune boosting by personalized peptide vaccination for advanced prostate cancer patients

• Published in: The Prostate 2008-12, Vol.68 (16), p.1753-1762
• Main Authors: Naito, Masayasu, Itoh, Kyogo, Komatsu, Nobukazu, Yamashita, Yuichi, Shirakusa, Takafumi, Yamada, Akira, Moriya, Fukuko, Ayatuka, Hitoshi, Mohamed, Elnisr Rashed, Matsuoka, Kei, Noguchi, Masanori
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Antibody Formation - drug effects; Antibody Formation - immunology; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer Vaccines - adverse effects; Cancer Vaccines - pharmacology; Cancer Vaccines - therapeutic use; Combined Modality Therapy; Dexamethasone - adverse effects; Dexamethasone - pharmacology; Dexamethasone - therapeutic use; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; glucocorticoids; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; immunotherapy; Male; Male genital diseases; Medical sciences; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; peptide vaccine; Prednisolone - adverse effects; Prednisolone - pharmacology; Prednisolone - therapeutic use; prostate cancer; Prostatic Neoplasms - immunology; Prostatic Neoplasms - therapy; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome; Tumors; Tumors of the urinary system; Urinary tract. Prostate gland
• ISSN: 0270-4137; 1097-0045
• DOI: 10.1002/pros.20847

BACKGROUND To evaluate the immunological responses of personalized peptide vaccination combined with low‐dose glucocorticoids for advanced hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) patients (pts). METHODS Eleven pts with advanced HRPC were treated with the vaccination and low‐dose glucocorticoids; 6 pts with 10 mg/day of prednisolone (PDL) followed by 1 mg/day of dexamethasone at the time of progression, 1 pt with PDL, and 4 pts with dexamethasone. Peptide‐specific cellular and humoral responses were employed to monitor pre‐ and post‐ (6th) vaccination samples. RESULTS The vaccination combined with glucocorticoids was well tolerated with no severe adverse effects. Increments of IgG responses were observed in 1 of 4 or 8 of 10 pts tested who received PDL or dexamethasone, respectively, increment of cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity was observed in 2 of 4 or 5 of 7 pts tested, respectively. Vaccination with PDL or dexamethasone resulted in a decline of PSA (at least 50%) in 1 of 7 or 6 of 10 pts with significantly longer median TTP in the dexamethasone group, respectively. CONCLUSION Vaccination combined with dexamethasone could be recommended for further clinical trials from both immunological and clinical points of view. Prostate © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.