thesis
Multidrug Resistance in Prostate Cancer
- Publication date
- 16 November 2005
- Publisher
- Advanced hormone refractory prostate cancer constitutes a therapeutic challenge,
because all available treatment strategies have failed to substantially increase
cancer specific survival. Among these strategies, a multitude of chemotherapeutic
approaches did not offer a superior life expectancy longer than a few months. Failure of chemotherapy may be caused by multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanisms
protecting cancer cells against cytotoxic drugs. The question arises whether the
MDR phenomenon plays a role in prostate cancer. Several pathways known to
lead to MDR such as the P-glycoprotein (Pgp; MDR1), isoforms of the multidrug
resistance associated protein (MRP), glutathione, apoptosis and topoisomerases
have been examined and are reviewed in chapter 2. Evidence for the involvement
of several MDR mechanisms in the chemoresistance of prostate cancer in vitro and
in vivo is accumulating. Reversal, circumvention or overcoming of MDR pathways
in advanced prostate cancer may be feasible and will lead to new strategies with
improved treatment efficacy in otherwise untreatable disease.