Can you tell me about ipilimumab for prostate cancer?
This page tells you about ipilimumab for prostate cancer. There is information about
Ipilimumab is a new drug in development for a number of cancers. It is a type of monoclonal antibody. It is pronounced ip-ee-lee-mew-mab and is also known as MDX-010. Monoclonal antibodies are a type of biological therapy. Researchers think that ipilimumab can help fight cancer by boosting the immune system. A small trial used ipilimumab in combination with hormone treatment for men with prostate cancer. The treatment worked well. This is promising - but it is important to remember that the men also had hormone treatment. We already know that hormone therapy can work very well on its own for some men. We need more research involving many more men to find out how well ipilimumab really works on its own and in combination with other treatments.
Ipilimumab works by stimulating the body’s immune system. The immune system involves a number of different types of cells to help us fight infection and disease, including T-cells. CTLA-4 is a molecule found on the surface of T-cells. It helps to control T-cells and their response to disease. CTLA-4 switches off the T-cells. So by blocking CTLA-4 on T-cells, the immune system is kept switched on and is able to respond to disease.
Researchers are looking into ipilimumab as a treatment for a number of different cancers including
- Advanced prostate cancer
- Advanced melanoma
You can find out more about ipilimumab for melanoma in the melanoma section. It is licensed for advanced melanoma.
A phase 2 trial, for men with advanced prostate cancer, is comparing hormone treatment alone with hormone treatment and ipilimumab. This is an American trial which is no longer recruiting. The men in the trial will be followed up until the end of 2010.
There is a phase 3 trial in the UK looking at radiotherapy followed by ipilimumab for prostate cancer that has spread to the bones. The trial is for men who have already had treatment but it is no longer working. Previous treatments include radiotherapy, hormone therapy and docetaxel.The trial aims to see how well radiotherapy followed by ipilimumab works for advanced prostate cancer. It also wants to learn more about the side effects and see what effect it has on quality of life.
There is another trial looking at ipilimumab for prostate cancer that has stopped responding to hormone therapy. It is for men who only have mild symptoms, or no symptoms at all, and who have not had chemotherapy. The trial aims to find out if ipilimumab helps men in this situation to live longer and learn more about the side effects.
It will be sometime before the results of these trials are available.
Ipilimumab for prostate cancer is only available as part of clinical trials. It is still going through research to find out how well it works and more about possible side effects.
You can find more information about treatment for prostate cancer in the prostate cancer section. This includes information about hormone therapy.
Increase text
Decrease text
Print this page
