Androgen receptor and immune inflammation in benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer

Both benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) are frequent diseases in middle-aged to elderly men worldwide. While both diseases are linked to abnormal growth of the prostate, the epidemiological and pathological features of these two prostate diseases are different.

BPH nodules typically arise from the transitional zone, and, in contrast, PCa arises from the peripheral zone. Androgen deprivation therapy alone may not be sufficient to cure these two prostatic diseases due to its undesirable side effects. The alteration of androgen receptor-mediated inflammatory signals from infiltrating immune cells and prostate stromal/epithelial cells may play key roles in those unwanted events. Herein, this review will focus on the roles of androgen/androgen receptor signals in the inflammation-induced progression of BPH and PCa.

Clinical investigation. 2014 Oct 01 [Epub]

Kouji Izumi, Lei Li, Chawnshang Chang

George Whipple Lab for Cancer Research, Departments of Pathology, Urology, & Radiation Oncology, The Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA ; Department of Integrative Cancer Therapy & Urology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan. , George Whipple Lab for Cancer Research, Departments of Pathology, Urology, & Radiation Oncology, The Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. , George Whipple Lab for Cancer Research, Departments of Pathology, Urology, & Radiation Oncology, The Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA ; Sex Hormone Research Center, China Medical University & Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.

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