Experimental vaccine increases survival in men with prostate cancer

Below is a comment from Otis W. Brawley, M.D., American Cancer Society chief medical officer, on the announcement that the experimental vaccine Provenge increased survival in men with prostate cancer.

"This announcement is reason for optimism about a vaccine that has generated controversy for several years. We have to respect the scientific process, an important part of which is a full disclosure and careful review and discussion of the data, which the company says will be released at a medical meeting later this month.

"One of the most important questions we'll be looking at will be the magnitude of the survival advantage; how much longer the men taking the vaccine lived compared to those on standard therapy.

"As with any new therapy, it will take a detailed analysis to fully understand the impact of this potential new treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer. We look forward to the presentation of the study at the upcoming meeting."