A new study on prostate cancer describes a novel class of
drugs developed by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers that interrupts
critical signaling needed for prostate cancer cells to grow.
In men with advanced prostate cancer, growth of cancer cells
depends on androgen receptor signaling, which is driven by androgens, such as testosterone.
To thwart tumor growth, most patients with advanced prostate cancer receive
drugs that block the production of androgen or block the receptor where the
androgen binds. Unfortunately, such treatments invariably fail and patients die
of prostate cancer with their androgen receptor signaling still active and
still promoting tumor growth.