New prostate cancer drug targets and markers discovered
A novel comprehensive study of prostate cancer tissue has uncovered a completely new gene network driving the disease in patients with castrate-resistant prostate cancer, according to research published recently in Cancer Cell.
For the study, tissue samples from men with prostate cancer were examined by surgeons at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute at the University of Cambridge. Researchers discovered that the androgen receptor drives advanced prostate cancer by switching on genes previously not linked with the disease. This new information exposes potential drug targets and markers that could be used in the future for monitoring cancer progression.
Cell studies in the past have shown that specific genes that drive cancer are “switched on” by the androgen receptor. However, this study reveals, for the first time, that when androgen is no longer present in the bloodstream, the androgen receptor continues to stimulate the disease. The androgen receptor does this by switching on a completely different gene set, one that includes genes associated with the production of glucose and fat.
Naomi Sharma, study author and Urology Academic Registrar at Addenbrooke’s Hospital based at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, said, “This is the first comprehensive tissue study of its kind and shines a new light on the biology of prostate cancer.
“In this sophisticated study using samples directly from patients, we’ve uncovered a much more complex network of cell messages. These messages switch on a completely different set of genes that continue to drive the disease in men for whom standard hormone treatments have stopped working.
“These important findings provide fresh targets for the development of new drugs to treat advanced stages of prostate cancer, and new ‘flags’ to help doctors track the progression of the disease in patients.”
Cancer Research UK’s prostate cancer expert Professor Malcolm Mason said, “This fascinating research reframes our understanding of how the androgen receptor works – painting a very different picture of how it drives cancer.”
Source: Cancer Research UK.