Over the past several decades, significant strides have been made in the development of new treatments for prostate cancer. Twenty years ago, the only option for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) was to continue androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), despite diminishing efficacy; today, there are over a dozen treatment options and combinations for patients with advanced prostate cancer. These new treatments and the advent of PSA screening have reduced prostate cancer mortality rates by over 50% since 1993; however, an estimated 34,700 patients in the U.S. and 375,000 globally are still dying from prostate cancer each year. 1, 2 Our work is not yet done.
While significant attention is deservedly given to new treatments and biomarkers for patients, basic and translational research advances make clinical progress possible. Moreover, as the treatment landscape has changed, so has the disease landscape. With stronger and earlier inhibition of the androgen receptor (AR) with AR signaling inhibitors (ARSI), we have observed the emergence of more aggressive, lineage-plastic disease subtypes, manifesting in up to 20% of patients with mCRPC.3 Understanding the spectrum of prostate cancer disease biology is key to ultimately developing cures for all patients.
This newest UroToday Center of Excellence is dedicated to highlighting prostate cancer translational research with significant potential for ultimately seeding the pipeline of new treatment strategies for patients.
Translational research areas of interest include:
- Prostate cancer genomics and genetics
- Epigenomics and lineage plasticity
- Tumor evolution and heterogeneity
- Tumor metabolism
- The tumor and immune microenvironment
- Mechanisms of treatment resistance
- New treatment targets
- New drug classes
- Biomarkers and molecular imaging
- Precision medicine strategies
- Racial disparities in prostate cancer incidence and outcomes
- Lessons from epidemiological studies
- Health habits to reduce prostate cancer risks
- New research tools and technologies
- Implementations for machine learning and artificial intelligence
Above all, it is critical to come together as a multi-disciplinary field with a shared goal: eliminating death and suffering from prostate cancer for all.
Written by:
Andrea Miyahira, Ph.D., The Senior Director of Global Research & Scientific Communications at the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF)
References:
1. Siegel, R.L., et al., Cancer statistics, 2023. CA Cancer J Clin, 2023. 73(1): p. 17-48.
2. Sung, H., et al., Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries. CA Cancer J Clin, 2021. 71(3): p. 209-249.
3. Aggarwal, R., et al., Clinical and Genomic Characterization of Treatment-Emergent Small-Cell Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer: A Multi-institutional Prospective Study. J Clin Oncol, 2018. 36(24): p. 2492-2503.