
"Health wise I am feeling great. I am a big supporter of trials - it allows new treatments and drugs to be brought in.”
Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.
This trial is looking at a vaccine called CV9104 for prostate cancer that has spread and is no longer responding to hormone therapy, but isn’t causing symptoms.
The immune system can recognise and kill cancer cells. But it is not always very good at doing this. In this trial, researchers are looking at a vaccine called CV9104 that can help the immune system to recognise and attack prostate cancer cells.
If prostate cancer has spread outside the prostate gland, doctors often treat it with hormone therapy. This can work very well, but at some stage the cancer may start to grow again. This may not cause symptoms, but your doctor might see changes on a scan or there may be an increase in the level of PSA in your blood.
The men taking part in this trial have prostate cancer that scans or blood tests show is getting worse. But their cancer is not causing symptoms or only causing very mild symptoms. The researchers will compare the CV9104 vaccine with a dummy drug to see if it helps men in this situation.
The aims of the trial are to
You may be able to enter this trial if you
You cannot enter this trial if you
This trial will recruit about 200 men. It is a randomised trial. The men taking part are put into treatment groups by a computer. Neither you nor your doctor will be able to decide which group you are in. And neither of you will know which group you are in. This is called a double blind trial.
Out of every 3 men joining the trial, 2 have the CV9104 vaccine and 1 has a dummy drug ().
You have CV9104 (or the dummy drug) as injections into the skin on the inside of your upper arm and thigh. There are 12 separate injections each time you have treatment.
You have treatment 10 times over a period of nearly 6 months. But if the injections are helping, you may be able to carry on having it for longer than 6 months.
If your cancer gets worse during the first 6 months, you can start having another type of treatment such as chemotherapy as well as having the injections.
The trial team will ask you to fill out a questionnaire before you start treatment, a number of times during treatment and after you finish treatment. The questionnaire will ask about side effects and how you’ve been feeling. This is called a quality of life study.
You see the trial team and have some tests before you start treatment. The tests include
You may also have a bone scan, CT scan or MRI scan.
In the week before you have the first injections, you have an ultrasound scan of your kidneys.
You go to hospital at least 11 times during the first 6 months. If the treatment is helping and you carry on having the injections for longer, you then have them every 6 weeks for up to a year and every 3 months after that.
You have regular blood tests throughout your treatment. You have a bone scan and a CT or MRI scan every 3 months for up to a year and then every 6 months after that.
When you finish treatment, you see the trial team again within the next 4 weeks. After that, they will contact you by phone every 3 months to find out how you are and whether you are having any other treatment.
As CV9104 Is a new drug, there may be side effects we don’t know about yet. In trials of a very similar drug, the most common side effects have been
It is possible that the vaccine could cause an allergic reaction with skin redness, rash, itching, difficulty breathing or dizziness. The trial team will monitor you closely and treat any symptoms quickly.
The trial team will talk to you about all the possible risks before you agree to take part in the trial.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Dr Isabella Syndikus
CureVac
National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN)
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"Health wise I am feeling great. I am a big supporter of trials - it allows new treatments and drugs to be brought in.”