The prospects of retinoids in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer amongst males and accounts for 13% of cancer deaths in this population in the US. Aggressive, androgen-independent, metastatic prostate cancer is incurable, and the search for new therapies has been directed towards identifying agents that block proliferation and induce differentiation and/or apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. Retinoid receptor agonists, such as all- retinoic acid, can induce apoptosis of prostate cancer cells, but clinical studies have demonstrated only mild to moderate efficacy. Retinoic acid receptor antagonists are a new class of retinoids, and pre-clinical studies have shown that they potently inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells and induce apoptosis. Here, we review whether retinoids have a role in the fight against prostate cancer.
Hammond
Lisette A
LA
Divisions of Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham Medical School, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK. hammondla@cancer.bham.ac.uk
Brown
Geoffrey
G
Keedwell
Richard G
RG
Durham
Jennifer
J
Chandraratna
Roshantha A S
RA
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D012176:Retinoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid; D012176:Retinoids