title: Resistance to abiraterone in castration-resistant prostate cancer: a review of the literature.
abstract: Persistent androgen signaling is functionally significant in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and it is actually considered a validated therapeutic target. Residual intra-tumoral androgens compensate for the effects of androgen ablation, activating the androgen receptor (AR), AR-mediated gene expression and driving CRPC. The intra-tumoral biosynthesis of androgens takes place in different ways and cytochrome P450 17A1 (CYP17A1) has a crucial role in this context. Abiraterone, a CYP17A1 inhibitor, has shown impressive results in pre- and post-chemotherapy settings, prolonging the survival of patients with CRPC. However, not all patients respond to the treatment and most responders develop resistance, with a widely variable duration of response. Although many hypotheses are emerging, the mechanisms of resistance to abiraterone treatment have not yet been elucidated. The aim of the present review is to describe the main data currently available on resistance to abiraterone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Sapienza University of Rome, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy silvanagiacinti@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giacinti
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Sapienza University of Rome, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bassanelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Sapienza University of Rome, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Aschelter
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milano
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Sapienza University of Rome, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roberto
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Sapienza University of Rome, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marchetti
mesh_terms: D000736:Androstenes; D000737:Androstenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064129:Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012196:Review Literature as Topic
chemical_list: D000736:Androstenes; D000737:Androstenols; C089740:abiraterone
keywords: Prostate cancer; abiraterone; castration-resistant prostate cancer; resistance; resistance to abiraterone; review