Sorafenib and prostate cancer therapy resistance

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in Western countries and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males. Anti-hormonal- and chemo-therapy are standard treatments for non-organ-confined prostate cancer. The effectiveness of these therapies is limited and the development of alternative approaches is necessary.

Oh et al. report on the use of the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib in a panel of prostate cancer cell lines and their derivatives which mimic endocrine and chemotherapy resistance. They demonstrate that the multi-targeting effects of sorafenib induces growth inhibition and apoptosis in a variety of prostate cancer cell lines. They also found that sorafenib affects AR expression and signalling. Their data suggest that maximal effect of sorafenib may be expected in androgen-sensitive prostate cancer prior to the development of resistance to castration and chemotherapy. They also show that there could be a rationale for the use of sorafenib in docetaxel-resistant carcinoma of the prostate.

The results of this study indicate that there is a potential to use sorafenib in prostate cancers as an adjuvant therapy option to current androgen ablation treatments, but also in progressed prostate cancers that become unresponsive to standard therapies. Oh et al. (2012) Endocrine-Related Cancer (in press).

Read the full article at DOI: 10.1530/ERC-11-0298.