Eric Small, MD, and colleagues from the UCSF Comprehensive
Cancer Center, are investigating a new
vaccine designed to battle an especially serious form of
prostate cancer. The vaccine has shown promising results in early
clinical trials, and may help men with advanced prostate cancer live longer. UCSF scientists say patients who received the vaccine, called Provenge, live longer than men who are on a
placebo. Unlike traditional vaccine, Provenge does not prevent the disease; rather, it triggers the
immune system to fight the cancer after it has already developed.