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Sandy Srinivas, MD
Sandy Srinivas, MD
Posted: Monday, April 24, 2023
For patients with aggressive prostate carcinoma, immunotherapy targeted against the tumor-associated antigen B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3) may be an efficacious and safe treatment strategy, according to a study published in Nature Medicine. Treatment with the monoclonal antibody enoblituzumab led to enhanced clinical activity against cancer cells, and additional studies evaluating its efficacy are warranted, suggested Eugene Shenderov, MD, PhD, FACP, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues.
“These findings provide the justification for developing multipronged approaches that include targeting B7-H3 to optimize antitumor activity in prostate cancer and other solid malignancies,” explained the study authors in a Johns Hopkins press release.
A total of 32 men with operable intermediate- to high-risk prostate carcinoma were recruited for the study. All patients were administered six doses of intravenous enoblituzumab. At 14 days after the last drug dose, patients underwent radical prostatectomy with the removal of the prostate glands. Levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were obtained at baseline and after prostatectomy. Patients were subsequently required to attend regular follow-up sessions.
The study authors reported that at 12-month follow-up, 66% of patients had an undetectable PSA level. In addition, at 30-month follow-up, the median recurrence-free survival time had yet to be reached. Treatment with enoblituzumab had a favorable safety profile, with 12% of patients experiencing grade 3 treatment-related adverse effects, according to the investigators. One patient experienced perimyocarditis approximately 1 month after completing pharmacologic treatment, which fully resolved with steroid treatment, and the rest of the individual’s care was not impaired by this adverse event. Moreover, following the completion of enoblituzumab therapy, elevated levels of cytotoxic markers were identified, suggesting activation of the immune system in response to treatment.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit nature.com.
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