Replies to post #5382 on Dendreon Corp fka DNDNQ

[acgood]

good questions all...I must say I am surprised by the magnitude of the move today in response to this news.

>>1.Was the correlation between antibody response and OS adjusted for baseline prognostic covariates?

to my reading...no. or at least it was not stated in the press release. they do not state the halabi predicted survival broken down between those with and wityhout these responses. the closest statement is-

"Importantly, the apparent associations between the presence of these two specific antibody responses and survival were shown by multivariate analysis to be independent of both dose and duration of treatment."


>> 2. Was antibody response measured during the same timeframe for all subjects and when?

again not stated in press release- does anyone have access to more info from the actual presentation?

>> 3. Are the two antigens FLJ14668 and HLA-A24 specific to prostate cancer?

FLJ14668, aka CaSm (cancer-associated Sm-like) is not prostate-specific. a brief search found references to up-regulation in pancreatic and lung cacner.

HLA-A24 is a major histocompatibility complex subtype (involved in immune system antigen presentation) and is therefore not prostate-specific. Only people whose immune system does NOT express this subtype can mount an antibody response against it. I am naive to any connection between HLA-A24 and prostate cancer or other cancers...


haha and of course price has gone up another 20 cents while I was writing this answer!