Current status of prostate-cancer research - development of in-vitro model systems (review)

Prostate cancer is a major medical problem which is expected to affect over 200,000 US men in 1994. Despite its widespread prevalence and the difficulties in clinical diagnosis and treatment of the disease, the contribution of environmental factors and the etiological mechanism of prostate cancer are poorly understood. A brief update on recent progress in cellular and molecular research of prostate cancer is provided. Specific areas discussed include oncogenes (vas, myc, c-erbB-2 and bcl-2), tumor suppressor genes (p53, RB, DCC, putative suppressor genes), growth factors (EGF, FGF, IGF) and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. The elucidation of a multistep mechanism of prostate tumorigenesis has been slowed by a lack of tumor tissue and the limited number of in vitro cell lines available for study. Reviewed here are the newly developed in vitro normal prostate cell systems which supply a base for addition of oncogenes and chemical mutagens and may provide insight into the molecular genetic events which accompany the stepwise induction of prostatic neoplasia.