Advanced Radiation Centers of New York to Participate in Clinical Trial for New Prostate Cancer Treatment

Study tests possible cancer vaccine

PRESS RELEASE

Melville, NY- March 11, 2014 – Advanced Radiation Centers of New York (ARC),  one of the pre-eminent Radiation Oncology groups in the  country, has been selected as the first free-standing radiation facility in New York to participate in a Phase III clinical trial of ProstAtak™, an innovative new vaccine approach for prostate cancer.

ProstAtak™ is available to men with newly diagnosed, localized prostate cancer and uses a technique known as gene mediated cytotoxic immunotherapy (GMCI™) to unleash a body’s own disease-fighting cells against cancer cells.

“Thanks to early testing, most prostate cancers are found before symptoms appear and therefore are treatable,” said Dr. Shawn H. Zimberg, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology for Advanced Radiation Centers of New York. “However in some patients the cancer reoccurs and may spread. ProstAtak™ works along with standard of care radiation therapy to jump start the body’s immune system so it can better detect and destroy residual cancer cells that may pose a risk of the cancer returning.”

ProstAtak™ is administered by three injections into the prostate, each followed by 14 days of an oral medication called valacyclovir, and along with standard radiation. Pending the results of this Phase III trial, ProstAtak™ would be the first prostate cancer treatment to address the risk of recurrence and metastases.

“Our group is committed to doing whatever we can to increase the development of cutting-edge treatments by participating in solid science-based trials to further improve patient outcomes and quality of life,” added Dr. Zimberg.

Previous clinical trials indicate ProstAtak™ is safe and effective in killing prostate cancer.  In a Phase II clinical trial, ProstAtak™ resulted in a greater than three-fold decrease from an expected tumor recurrence of more than 30 percent to less than 10 percent, after a median follow-up of nearly six years.

The Phase III ProstAtak™ study is designed for men who are considering radiation treatment for their prostate cancer. The study is sponsored by Advantagene, Inc. under an FDA approved special protocol assessment (SPA) at leading cancer centers throughout the U.S.