Provenge Is Talk of GU Malignancies Congress

The document discussed the introduction of Provenge, a therapeutic vaccine for prostate cancer, which was considered a new paradigm in oncology. Approved by the FDA, Provenge was designed for men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer and demonstrated improved survival in clinical trials involving approximately 700 patients. The pivotal IMPACT trial showed that Provenge extended median survival by about 4 months and reduced the risk of death by 22.5%. Despite its high cost, experts believed in its efficacy, though the exact mechanism was unclear. The document also mentioned the development of another vaccine, Prostvac-VF, and discussed the potential of 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors for prostate cancer prevention. Additionally, it highlighted the reluctance of physicians to use finasteride for chemoprevention despite evidence of its benefits.