Researchers identify critical window for boosting immunotherapy response in prostate cancer

by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

Gaby Clark

Scientific Editor

Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process

Andrew Zinin

Chief Editor

Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process Editors' notes

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

trusted source

proofread

The GIST Add to Preferred Sources

Researchers at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center have shown that hormone-blocking therapies commonly used to treat prostate cancers temporarily activate the body's immune response before those immune effects begin to fade over time. In a new publication in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer, a team led by Kent Nastiuk, Ph.D., reports this discovery—and points the way to a treatment strategy for taking advantage of this window of opportunity.

Nastiuk initiated the current study to better understand how hormonal anti-androgen therapy (ADT) reshapes the immune landscape around prostate cancers.

A multidisciplinary team of experts analyzed tumors from men who received ADT prior to prostate surgery. They found that immune and inflammatory pathways, particularly those involved in antigen presentation and adaptive immune response, were increased within months of ADT, activating tumor-killing cytotoxic lymphocytes. While they observed an influx of activated immune cells within several months of ADT, after six months of ADT, inhibitory immune cells increased and cytotoxic lymphocytes decreased. The active immune cells clustered near tumor cells soon after ADT, but were replaced by the inhibitory immune cells in tumors after six months of ADT.

"Our findings identify changes in the prostate tumor that explain established resistance to immunotherapies in patients already resistant to standard anti-androgen therapies," says Nastiuk, assistant professor of oncology in the Departments of Cancer Genomics and Urology.

"We show here that ADT hormonal therapy rapidly activates the immune cells inside the prostate, opening up the possibility that tumors may respond to a combination approach—first treating aggressive tumors with ADT, and then instead of waiting for the cancer to progress, rapidly following up the ADT-activated tumors with immunotherapies to better treat prostate cancer."

What is already known on this topic

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (known as ICIs or CPIs, checkpoint pathway inhibitors) have not been effective in treating most human prostate cancers. Advanced and recurrent prostate cancer patients are treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), and although ADT is known to influence immune signaling, most evidence of ADT effects on prostate tumors derives from preclinical models or single time-point clinical studies that capture static views of the immune landscape. Consequently, how immune–tumor interactions evolve during ADT remains unclear.

What this study adds

This study describes the temporal dynamics of the immune response of primary prostate cancers to ADT administered before prostate surgery (neoadjuvant ADT or nADT), thus revealing key information to develop a strategic approach to improve the efficacy of CPIs in prostate cancer.

Renyuan Zhang, Ph.D., a recent Roswell Park doctoral graduate from Nastiuk's laboratory and co-first author on the new study, discovered that after several months of nADT, inflammation and immune-related pathways were activated. This effect was accompanied by a robust influx of both CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cells into prostate tumors, suggesting activation of tumor-killing immune responses.

In contrast, six or more months of nADT led to an immunosuppressive shift, with increased numbers of tumor-associated macrophages and regulatory T cells that can suppress the activity of cancer-killing T cells.

Translational relevance

"Our findings suggest a critical window of opportunity following neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy for initiating immune checkpoint inhibitors, and provide a rationale for the precise sequencing of hormonal and immune-based regimens to maximize therapeutic benefit," notes study first co-author Anmbreen Jamroze, Ph.D., research assistant professor of oncology at Roswell Park working in the laboratory of Dean Tang, Ph.D., chair of Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

"These new data suggest that checkpoint inhibitors might be beneficial if used earlier during prostate cancer therapy progression, soon after ADT is initiated and prior to development of anti-androgen and immunotherapy resistance."

Publication details

Anmbreen Jamroze et al., Temporal dynamics of the immune response to neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy suggest a window of opportunity for checkpoint inhibitor therapy in prostate cancer, Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (2026). DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2026-015348

Journal information: Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer

Key medical concepts

Immune Checkpoint InhibitorsT-Lymphocytes, Regulatory

Clinical categories

OncologyUrologyAllergy and immunologyMen's health Provided by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Who's behind this story?

Gaby Clark

MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Researchers identify critical window for boosting immunotherapy response in prostate cancer (2026, October 29) retrieved 29 October 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-critical-window-boosting-immunotherapy-response.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.