Tune the channel: TRPM8 targeting in prostate cancer

The therapeutic landscape of cancer treatments is quickly evolving thanks to the advent of precision oncology. Discovery of novel druggable targets and more reliable biomarkers is a primary objective towards personalized strategies of cancer treatment. Highly expressed in the prostate epithelium within the human body, Transient Receptor Potential subfamily M member 8 (TRPM8) levels rise in primary and hormone naïve metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) lesions, which makes this channel an interesting prototype of molecular target. Recently, by combining a multidisciplinary approach to an in vitro genetic platform, we demonstrated that the combination of potent TRPM8 agonists with X-rays induces a massive apoptotic response in radioresistant pre-malignant and malignant models of primary prostate lesions. As well, TRPM8 activation enhances the efficacy of docetaxel or enzalutamide in eradicating hormone naïve metastatic PCa cells. Overall, our findings provide a solid rationale for pursuing the pre-clinical and clinical study of TRPM8 as a valuable target for future approaches of precise oncology in PCa.