The trial was conducted pursuant to a FDA Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), a set of guidelines binding trial investigators to specific agreed-upon parameters with respect to trial design, procedures and endpoints; compliance ensured overall scientific integrity and accelerated FDA approval.The D9901 trial enrolled 127 patients with asymptomatic metastatic HRPC randomized in a 2:1 ratio. The median survival time for patients treated with sipuleucel-T was 25.9 months comparing to 21.4 months for placebo-treated patients. Overall survival was statistically significant (P=0.01).The D9902a trial was designed like the D9901 trial but enrolled 98 patients. The median survival time for patients treated with sipuleucel-T was 19.0 months comparing to 15.3 months for placebo-treated patients, but did not reach statistical significance. Ongoing
As of August 2014, the PRO Treatment and Early Cancer Treatment (PROTECT) trial, a phase IIIB clinical trial started in 2001, was tracking subjects but no longer enrolling new subjects. Its purpose is to test efficacy for patients whose CaP is still controlled by either suppression of testosterone by hormone treatment or by surgical castration. Such patients have usually failed primary treatment of either surgical removal of the prostate, (EBRT), internal radiation, BNCT or (HIFU) for curative intent.
Sipuleucel-T, sold under the brand name Provenge, developed by Dendreon Pharmaceuticals, LLC, is a cell-based cancer immunotherapy for prostate cancer (CaP). It is an autologous cellular immunotherapy. Medical uses
Sipuleucel-T is indicated for the treatment of metastatic, asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic, metastatic castrate-resistant hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Other names for this stage are metastatic castrate-resistant (mCRPC) and androgen independent (AI) or (AIPC). This stage leads to mCRPC with lymph node involvement and distal (distant) tumors; this is the lethal stage of CaP. The prostate cancer staging designation is T4,N1,M1c. Treatment method
A course of treatment consists of three basic steps:

The patients white blood cells, primarily dendritic cells, a type of antigen-presenting cells (APCs), are extracted in a leukapheresis procedure. The blood product is sent to a production facility and incubated with a fusion protein (PA2024) consisting of two parts:
The antigen prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), which is present in 95% of prostate cancer cells and
An immune signaling factor granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) that helps the APCs to mature. The activated blood product (APC8015) is returned from the production facility to the infusion center and reinfused into the patient.Premedication with acetaminophen and antihistamine is recommended to minimize side effects.