In this paper we analyze the potential effect of immunotherapies on castration-resistant form of human Prostate Cancer (PCa). In particular, we examine the potential effect of the dendritic vaccine sipuleucel-T, the only currently available immunotherapy option for advanced PCa, and of ipilimumab, a drug targeting the Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Antigen 4 (CTLA4), exposed on the CTLs membrane, currently under Phase II clinical trial. The model, building on the one by Rutter and Kuang, includes different types of immune cells and interactions and is parameterized on available data.

Our results show that the vaccine has only a very limited effect on PCa, while repeated treatments with ipilimumab appear potentially capable of controlling and even eradicating an androgen-independent prostate cancer. From a mathematical analysis of a simplified model, it seems likely that, under continuous administration of ipilimumab, the system lies in a bistable situation where both the no-tumor equilibrium and the high-tumor equilibrium are attractive. The schedule of periodic treatments could then determine the outcome, and mathematical models could help determine an optimal schedule.

在本文中，我们分析了免疫疗法对人前列腺癌（PCa）去势抵抗形式的潜在影响。特别是，我们检查了树突状疫苗sipuleucel-T（目前唯一可用于晚期PCa的免疫疗法）和ipilimumab（靶向细胞毒性T淋巴细胞抗原4（CTLA4）的药物）在CTL膜上暴露的潜在作用，目前正在进行II期临床试验。该模型基于Rutter和Kuang的模型，包括不同类型的免疫细胞和相互作用，并根据可用数据进行参数化。

我们的结果表明，该疫苗对PCa的作用非常有限，而使用ipilimumab进行重复治疗似乎有可能控制甚至消除雄激素非依赖性前列腺癌。从简化模型的数学分析来看，在连续给予ipilimumab的情况下，系统似乎处于双稳态，无肿瘤平衡和高肿瘤平衡都具有吸引力。定期治疗的时间表可以确定结果，数学模型可以帮助确定最佳时间表。