Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in North America. The SU2C–Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) Prostate Dream Team hypothesizes that treatment for one type of the disease, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, becomes ineffective when certain cellular pathways are activated. The team is working to find ways to shut down these pathways and preserve the effectiveness of the treatment, thus improving outcomes for patients.
Prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in North America, is generally treated with hormonal therapy. If the cancer spreads to other sites in the body and no longer responds to hormonal therapy, it is called metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). It is treated with drugs such as abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide, which target androgen function, and docetaxel and cabazitaxel, which target microtubule dynamics.
The chemotherapies currently used to treat this cancer have significant side effects. Further, nearly all patients with mCRPC develop resistance to these treatments, resulting in significant pain, suffering, and death. The goal of the SU2C–PCF Prostate Dream Team is to improve the outcomes for men with mCRPC who are no longer responsive to treatment by understanding the causes of resistance and developing treatments to overcome them.
The team has explored the idea that resistance is a result of the prostate cancer cells using common cellular responses, called adaptive pathways, to elude current therapies. The team members believe that by identifying these pathways and inhibiting them, they will be able to overcome treatment resistance and profoundly improve survival and quality of life for patients.
The top scientists and researchers on the SU2C–PCF Prostate Dream Team come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines, which leads them to great insights upon collaboration. Learn more about the SU2C–PCF Prostate Dream Team.
Dream Team Members
“We are incredibly excited about this project. Despite an unprecedented increase in the number of drugs that have been approved for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, our patients still develop resistance to these agents, and still die from progressive disease. This project will help identify the causes of resistance in an individual patient, and help us tailor therapy for that patient.”
Stand Up To Cancer’s research projects are designed to foster collaborative, swift translational research. The hallmarks of these efforts include rigorous application and selection procedures, sufficient funding to allow scientists to focus on the objectives of the grant, and reviews by senior scientists every six months. These reviews help the investigators capitalize on the latest findings, address potential roadblocks, and collaboratively evolve as the science requires. Please click below to see summaries of research results so far for the SU2C–PCF Prostate Dream Team.
Cancer clinical trials allow researchers to study innovative and potentially life-saving new treatments. The goal is to find treatments that are better than what’s currently available; in fact, the therapies offered to today’s cancer patients were almost all studied and made possible by people participating in clinical trials. But many cancer clinical trials aren’t completed because not enough people take part.
At StandUpToCancer.org/ClinicalTrials, you’ll find information and answers to common questions about clinical trials. Learn more and talk to your doctor to see if a clinical trial may be the best choice for you.
You can also connect with EmergingMed, a free and confidential clinical trial matching service that provides access to a vast database to help you identify the clinical trials that might be right for you or your loved one.
