Breakthrough in Prostate Cancer Research

Published today in the journal Genetic Vaccines and Therapy are details of a breakthrough in prostate cancer research, from an Irish based research laboratory. A DNA-based vaccine which is shown to destroy secondary prostate cancer has been successful in animal trials in Cork. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in Irish men and around 1,900 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed annually, with 700 patients dying of the disease each year. Localised prostate cancer is currently treated with surgery and radiotherapy, but there are limited options for cures for those with secondary prostate cancer. DNA vaccines activate the immune system against prostate cancer and then seek out any remaining cancer cells that have migrated to other parts of the body and destroy them, after treatment of the original cancer.