William K. Oh, MD, presented “Systemic Immunotherapy in Prostate Cancer” during the 27th Annual Southwest Prostate Cancer Symposium conference on October 17, 2024, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
How to cite: Oh, William K. “Systemic Immunotherapy in Prostate Cancer.” October 17, 2024. Accessed Feb 2025. https://grandroundsinurology.com/systemic-immunotherapy-in-prostate-cancer/
Systemic Immunotherapy in Prostate Cancer – Summary
William K. Oh, MD, discusses systemic immunotherapy approaches for advanced prostate cancer, discussing challenges, developments, and potential avenues for future progress. In this 21-minute presentation, he highlights that response rates to checkpoint inhibitors, such as pembrolizumab, remain low, with benefits seen in only a small subset of patients. The significance of Sipuleucel-T is addressed, acknowledging its modest survival benefit but emphasizing the need for further randomized trials to define its contemporary role. Newer approaches, such as bispecific antibodies and CAR T-cell therapies, show promise, with evidence of tumor response in select patients.
Dr. Oh outlines the lack of success in checkpoint inhibitor combinations, stressing that prostate cancer lags behind other malignancies in immunotherapy advances. He underscores the need to test for genetic markers that identify candidates for immunotherapy while acknowledging the limitations of current genetic prevalence in prostate cancer. Bispecific antibodies targeting PSMA and CAR T-cell therapies receive particular attention as areas for future exploration. Despite setbacks, he remains optimistic about emerging strategies that may reshape immunotherapy’s role in treating prostate cancer.
About the 27th Annual Southwest Prostate Cancer Symposium:
Presented by Program Chairs Nelson N. Stone, MD, Richard G. Stock, MD, and William K. Oh, MD, this conference educated attendees about advances in the management of localized and advanced prostate cancer, with a focus on imaging, technology, and training in the related devices. It included a scientific session, as well as live demonstrations of surgical techniques. You can learn more about the conference here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. William K. Oh is Chief Medical Officer at the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), the world’s leading philanthropic organization dedicated to the eradication of prostate cancer and is also a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at The Tisch Cancer Institute of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is an expert in the management of genitourinary malignancies, including prostate, renal, bladder, and testicular cancers.
Dr. Oh received his MD from New York University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Oh completed a fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
For two years prior to joining PCF, Dr. Oh was the Chief Medical Officer at Sema4, a patient-centered health intelligence company. From 2009-2020, Dr. Oh was Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Mount Sinai Health System and Deputy Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center, at Mount Sinai. Dr. Oh spent 14 years at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, including service as Clinical Director of GU Oncology and Associate Professor of Medicine.
Dr. Oh has authored more than 350 original articles, reviews, and book chapters on topics relating to prostate, renal, bladder, and testicular cancers. He has edited three books on prostate cancer. He has served in key invited roles for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Cancer Society (ACS), and the American Urological Association (AUA), including the Guidelines Committee for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. In addition to reviewing for prominent journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Cancer, Dr. Oh was inducted into the prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and has been repeatedly selected as a Top Doctor in New York Magazine, Castle Connolly, Best Doctors, and Super Doctors.
