Chemotherapy oxaliplatin sensitizes prostate cancer to immune checkpoint blockade therapies via stimulating tumor immunogenicity

Even though standard treatment options are available for prostate cancer patients, prostate cancer is still a leading cause of death in many Western countries due to drug resistance and recurrence. Immune checkpoint blockade therapy has been proved to be very effective in some melanoma patients, which might dependent on the preconditioned immune system. Here we explored the effect of chemotherapy (oxaliplatin) in combination with immune checkpoint blockade therapy (anti-PD-1 treatment) in prostate cancer cell lines and pre-clinical animal models. We found that oxaliplatin is effective in castration-resistant cells and enhanced the response of prostate cancer to anti-PD-1 antibody treatment. Oxaliplatin stimulated the immunogenic potential and established a pro-immune microenvironment in prostate cancer. In conclusion, oxaliplatin sensitized anti-PD-1 treatment in prostate cancer and this combination may be an option for castration-resistant prostate cancer patients.