A new study provides evidence that a prostate cancer vaccine combined with hormone-deprivation therapy can help patients with recurrent prostate cancer. The results of this clinical trial, led by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), appear in the August Journal of Urology.

The phase II trial was designed to treat patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer who were experiencing rising levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), an indicator of disease recurrence. Prostate cancer often progresses several years after treatment with hormone-deprivation (antiandrogen) therapy.

This is the first study to combine antiandrogen therapy and a cancer vaccine for treating prostate cancer, and also the first randomized clinical trial in this population of prostate cancer patients.  Read more  

As the recent special issue of the NCI Cancer Bulletin on communication highlighted, NCI and the cancer community have embraced technology as a means of facilitating communication among and between the cancer community and the public.

The complexity and pace of research today demand that researchers communicate more often and more effectively, and have access to shared resources that promote collaboration. Although many researchers in certain fields discuss their work when the opportunities arise, we can no longer solely rely on research conferences as a means of forging relationships, and learning about new science and new opportunities. This is especially true if we are to fully realize the inherent advantages of team science and inter- and cross-disciplinary collaboration.  Read more  

The NCI Cancer Bulletin is produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI, which was established in 1937, leads the national effort to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Through basic, clinical, and population-based biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can identify the environmental and genetic causes of cancer, prevent cancer before it starts, identify cancers that do develop at the earliest stage, eliminate cancers through innovative treatment interventions, and biologically control those cancers that we cannot eliminate so they become manageable, chronic diseases. For more information on cancer, call 1-800-4-CANCER or visit http://www.cancer.gov. NCI Cancer Bulletin staff can be reached at ncicancerbulletin@mail.nih.gov.