New Possibilities for Prostate Cancer Treatment
An Australian study has identified a subgroup of prostate cancer cells that survive androgen deprivation therapy and could contribute to prostate cancer recurrence. Previously unidentified, these cells are potential targets for future treatments. As they are present early in disease development, there is the possibility of therapy before the cancer reaches the aggressive, incurable stage. The study was published in Science Translational Medicine.
The best available treatment for advanced prostate cancer is androgen deprivation therapy, which is highly effective; however, the tumor eventually becomes resistant to the treatment and the cancer cells repopulate in an incurable form.
Study Details
Led by Gail Risbridger, PhD, and Renea Taylor, PhD, of Monash University in Australia, researchers obtained tumor samples from 12 men with early-stage, localized prostate cancer. Then, using mouse models to mimic the progression in humans, they closely observed how the cancer cells responded to and survived androgen deprivation therapy. Even after 4 weeks of androgen deprivation, residual populations of quiescent, stem-like tumor cells continued to persist.
"The results indicate that these persistent cancer cells somehow differ from cancer cells that respond to androgen withdrawal, and are likely to be the precursor cells that lead to advanced androgen-resistant disease. We will now investigate how to effectively target these cells," Professor Risbridger said.
Next Steps
According to Mark Frydenberg, MBBS, FRACS, of the Monash Department of Surgery, and Chairman of the Department of Urology, Monash Health, the findings could lead to additional therapies to increase the effectiveness of existing prostate cancer treatments.
"This new information suggests that potentially some of the powerful targeted therapies now being used for advanced prostate cancer may have a role to play in earlier localized cancers, especially those with high-risk features, and this hypothesis can be actively tested,” Professor Frydenberg said, adding that the findings will also allow for the testing of new novel compounds to determine the efficacy of these agents against the hormone-resistant cells.
The research was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Victorian Cancer Agency, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia through the Movember Young Investigator Grant.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
