Novel therapeutic strategies in prostate cancer: establishing a stratification system for patient selection in...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

• Current standard treatment for metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer (docetaxel and prednisone) improves survival but is not curative.
• Numerous small-molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies targeting cancer pathways are in preclinical and early clinical development.
• Lack of molecular tumor characterization hinders interpretation of clinical trial results and identification of predictive markers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the need for molecular classification of prostate tumors.
• To facilitate the development of predictive models for patient stratification in clinical trials.
• To guide the selection of targeted therapies for metastatic prostate cancer.

Main Methods:

• Review of current treatment standards and emerging therapeutic strategies.
• Discussion of challenges in interpreting clinical trial data due to lack of molecular profiling.
• Highlighting the importance of molecular characterization for personalized medicine.

Main Results:

• The current standard therapy for metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer is insufficient for a cure.
• Many novel targeted agents are under investigation, but guidelines for their use are lacking.
• Molecular profiling of prostate tumors is essential for identifying biomarkers and stratifying patients.

Conclusions:

• A molecular classification of human prostate tumors is actively sought.
• This classification will enable the development of predictive models for patient stratification.
• It will aid in the effective implementation of targeted clinical trials for metastatic prostate cancer.