Reappraisal of the concept of hormone therapy in metastatic prostate cancer and implications for treatment.

Abstract

Almost all prostate cancer patients become resistant to hormonal therapy that blocks androgen-mediated cell proliferation. The key to this resistance may lie in expression of the androgen receptor itself. Alternative methods to block the AR-mediated signaling pathways appear to be critical for tumor survival. These signal transduction pathways that interact with AR may enhance the response to androgen ablation therapy. The identification of signaling pathways may be a major goal in the treatment of prostate cancer. The application of novel therapies must be preceded by the identification of the genetic and molecular tumor profiles for each patient.