Doctors tested a new gene therapy called aglatimagene besadenovec on patients with intermediate or high-risk prostate cancer. These patients were getting radiation therapy at medical centers across the USA and Puerto Rico. The study included 745 people who were at least 18 years old and planned to have radiation treatment.
The main goal was to see how long patients stayed without the cancer coming back. Those who got the gene therapy plus valacyclovir medicine stayed disease-free much longer. The average time for the placebo group was 86.1 months, while the gene therapy group did not reach that average time during the study. This means the new treatment worked better at keeping the cancer under control.
Safety checks showed that the new treatment was well tolerated. Most side effects were mild and not serious. The rate of serious problems was similar for both the new treatment group and the placebo group. This suggests the therapy offers real benefits without adding dangerous risks for patients.
The study was funded by Candel Therapeutics and the US National Institutes of Health. Results show this new option could help more people manage their cancer better after radiation therapy.