Yang Kuang

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  A mathematical model for the immunotherapy of advanced prostate cancer
  Yang Kuang

  A mathematical model of advanced prostate cancer treatment is developed to examine the combined effects of androgen deprivation therapy and immunotherapy. Androgen deprivation therapy has been the primary form of treatment for advanced prostate cancer for the past 50 years. While initially successful, this therapy eventually results in a relapse after two to three years in the form of androgen-independent prostate cancer. Intermittent androgen deprivation therapy attempts to prevent relapse by cycling the patient on and off treatment. Over the past decade, dendritic cell vaccines have been used in clinical studies for the immunotherapy of prostate cancer with some success. Our model examines the efficacy of dendritic cell vaccines when used with continuous or intermittent androgen deprivation therapy schedules. Numerical simulations of the model suggest that immunotherapy can successfully stabilize the disease using both continuous and intermittent androgen deprivation.