Scientists from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center found a previously unknown subtype of hormone-resistant prostate cancer accounts for about 30% of all cases.
The results could pave the way for targeted therapies for people with this subtype of prostate cancer.
The research is published in the journal Science and was conducted by Yu Chen et al.
Prior to this recent work, only two prostate cancer subtypes had been described: androgen-dependent and neuroendocrine.
The team calls the newly characterized third type stem cell-like (SCL), because some of the genes that are turned on in the cells are reminiscent of those in stem cells.
In the study, the team examined 40 different patient-derived models of prostate cancer obtained from people with cancer.
One reason the subtype may have alluded to researchers is that there aren’t enough good laboratory models for studying this type of cancer.
The team says for the past 80 years, the backbone of treatment for prostate cancer has been hormone-deprivation therapy.
That’s because essentially all prostate cancers when they are first diagnosed depend on testosterone signaling.
Once patients become resistant to antigen deprivation, it becomes a universally lethal disease.
This is where the new findings could help improve treatment options.
The scientists found that there are experimental drugs currently being tested in humans that can block the growth of the SCL subtype in laboratory and animal models.
They are currently working with several companies to establish a clinical trial of their drugs for people with this subtype of prostate cancer.
If you care about prostate cancer, please read studies about 5 types of bacteria linked to aggressive prostate cancer, and new strategy to treat advanced prostate cancer.
For more information about prostate cancer, please see recent studies about new way to lower risk of prostate cancer spread, and results showing three-drug combo boosts survival in metastatic prostate cancer.
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