Clinical implications of androgen receptor in prostate cancer stem cells

Prostate cancer comprises heterogeneous cells that are phenotypically and functionally distinct, which poses clinical challenges as the cell types are likely to respond differently to therapies. In this review, Deng & Tang discuss prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs) and heterogeneity of androgen receptor (AR) expression in primary, metastatic and treatment-failed prostate cancers. They hypothesise that, whereas PCSCs in primary and untreated tumours and models are mainly AR−, those in castrationresistant prostate cancers could be either AR+ or AR−/lo. They discuss the potential mechanisms that the cells may employ to propagate prostate cancer at the population level, mediate therapy resistance, and metastasise. The authors conclude that targeting AR alone may not achieve long-lasting therapeutic efficacy. Understanding the roles of the AR and PCSCs should provide fresh clues for designing novel therapeutics targeting both AR+ and AR− prostate cancer cells. Read the full article in Endocrine-Related Cancer  Endocrine-Related Cancer 22 T209-T220