USC Health Now

Q: I’ve heard there might be a vaccine for prostate cancer. Is this true?

A. There is currently no vaccine available to protect against prostate cancer. However, a recent study by USC researchers showed promising results using a vaccine in mice. Ninety percent of the mice genetically predestined to develop prostate cancer did not develop the disease after vaccination. “By early vaccination, we have basically given these mice lifelong protection against a disease they were destined to have,” said the study’s lead investigator, W. Martin Kast, Ph.D., professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “This has never been done before and, with further research, could represent a paradigm shift in the management of human prostate cancer.” Studies in humans are still needed, but the researchers suggest the vaccine may be used in men who have rising levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a potential diagnostic indicator of prostate cancer. According to Kast, the current treatment for a rising PSA is “watchful waiting” until signs of cancer appear. “But what if instead of a watchful wait, we vaccinate?” says Kast. “That could change the course of the disease.”