Ricerc@Sapienza

Adoptive cell therapy of solid tumors with reprogrammed T cells can be considered the "next generation" of cancer hallmarks. CAR-T cells fail to be as effective as in liquid tumors for the inability to reach and survive in the microenvironment surrounding the neoplastic foci. The intricate net of cross-interactions occurring between tumor components, stromal and immune cells leads to an ineffective anergic status favoring the evasion from the host's defenses.

In recent years, immunotherapy has been proposed for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (PCa). Clinical trials using Sipuleucel-T have demonstrated a survival benefit in PCa patients, suggesting that this cancer is linked to a limited immune response. However, the outcome of PCa treated with immune therapeutics has limited benefits in monotherapy: novel vaccination approaches and immune checkpoint blockade gave disappointing results.