title: Prostate cancer heterogeneity: Discovering novel molecular targets for therapy.
abstract: Prostate cancer (PCa) shows a broad spectrum of biological and clinical behavior, which represents the epiphenomenon of an extreme genetic heterogeneity. Recent genomic profiling studies have deeply improved the knowledge of the genomic landscape of localized and metastatic PCa. The AR and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways are the two most frequently altered, representing therefore interestingly targets for therapy. Moreover, somatic or germline aberrations of DNA repair genes (DRGs) have been observed at high frequency, supporting the potential role of platinum derivatives and PARP inhibitors as effective therapeutic strategies. In the future, the identification of driver mutations present at a specific stage of the disease, the classification PCa based on specific molecular alterations, and the selection of the most appropriate therapy based on biomarkers predictors of response represent the foundations for an increasingly more accurate personalized medicine.
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ciccarese
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: fmassari79@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Massari
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iacovelli
authors.affiliation: Pathology Service, Addarii Institute of Oncology, S-Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Michelangelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiorentino
authors.affiliation: Section of Pathological Anatomy, Polytechnic University of the Marche Region, School of Medicine, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Montironi
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Nunno
authors.affiliation: Pathology Service, Addarii Institute of Oncology, S-Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giunchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Diagnostic, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI), University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunelli
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Giampaolo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tortora
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000235:genetics; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; C546842:MTOR protein, human; C494929:PTEN protein, human
keywords: BRCA; CRPC; DRG; Heterogeneity; PARPi; PTEN; Prostate cancer