Black men die more often of prostate cancer (PC) yet, interestingly, may derive greater survival benefits from immunotherapy. Since no signatures of immune-responsiveness exist for PC, we explored race-based immune-profiles to identify vulnerabilities. Black men have increases in plasma cell infiltrate and associated augmented NK cell and IgG activity. These findings are associated with improved survival and nominate plasma cells as drivers of PC immune-responsiveness.
Overall design
This discovery cohort was comprised of two groups of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy and no additional treatment until metastatic recurrence at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute (JHMI). The first group consisted of 355 intermediate- or high-risk patients treated between 1995 and 2005, of which 33 were Black.1 The second group consisted 143 Black men treated from 2006 to 20102 for a total of 355 White men and 176 Black men. To prepare for matching, 6 (1%) men were excluded due to missing data on pathological stage. All men with grade group 1 disease were excluded given the disproportionate numbers among Black men (24 vs 6; 30 total, 6%). Finally, the cohort was randomly sorted before using the “matchit” function from the “Matchit” R package to derive a final grade- and stage-matched cohort of 300 men, 150 each of Black and White men. Race was defined by self-identification in this cohort.
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