An overview of sipuleucel-T: Autologous cellular immunotherapy for prostate cancer

• Published in: Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics Vol. 8; no. 4; pp. 520 - 527
• Main Authors: Wesley, Johnna, Whitmore, James, Trager, James, Sheikh, Nadeem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 01.04.2012
• Subjects: active cellular therapy; autologous cellular therapy; Binding; Biology; Bioscience; Calcium; Cancer; Cancer Vaccines - administration & dosage; Cancer Vaccines - adverse effects; Cell; Cycle; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions - epidemiology; Humans; Immunologic Factors - administration & dosage; Immunologic Factors - adverse effects; immunotherapy; Immunotherapy - adverse effects; Immunotherapy - methods; Landes; Male; Neoplasm Metastasis - therapy; Organogenesis; prostate cancer; Prostatic Neoplasms - secondary; Prostatic Neoplasms - therapy; Proteins; sipuleucel-T; Survival Analysis; Tissue Extracts - administration & dosage; Tissue Extracts - adverse effects; Treatment Outcome; United States
• ISSN: 2164-5515; 2164-554X
• DOI: 10.4161/hv.18769

Sipuleucel-T, the first autologous active cellular immunotherapy approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, is designed to stimulate an immune response to prostate cancer. Sipuleucel-T is manufactured by culturing a patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (including antigen presenting cells) with a recombinant protein comprising a tumor-associated antigen (prostatic acid phosphatase) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor. Treatment consists of 3 infusions at approximately 2-week intervals, resulting in a prime-boost pattern of immune activation, a robust antigen-specific cellular and humoral immune response, and, consequently, a survival benefit in subjects with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer. Adverse events are generally mild to moderate and resolve within 2 d. Serious adverse events occur at a low rate. As the first autologous cellular immunotherapy to demonstrate a survival benefit, sipuleucel-T is a novel oncologic therapeutic that warrants the reassessment of the current prostate cancer treatment paradigm.