 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) New research reveals prostate tumors produce their own testosterone, causing prostate cancer to spread.
In research based on autopsy results, doctors realized as they tried to suppress the production of testosterone, the tumors were producing their own supply of the hormone, allowing the tumors to thrive. Doctors compared tissue samples taken from men who had either been surgically castrated or were receiving testosterone blocking drugs with those from men who had just had prostate surgery with normal levels of testosterone. They found testosterone levels were four times higher in the men who were deprived of the hormone.
Text Continues Below
Further investigation revealed the reason: tumor cells have the genetic material necessary to create the pathways required to produce androgen hormones like testosterone.
We not only found that metastatic-tumor tissues have high enough androgen levels within them to support continued growth of the tumor cells, but also a critically important reason behind why those androgens are there the discovery that the gene pathways for synthesizing androgens from cholesterol appear to be present in the distant tumor sites, study author Elahe Mostaghel, M.D., Ph.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, was quoted as saying.
This finding will allow us to start honing in on the specific source of those androgens and how we can eliminate them, said Mostaghel.
The authors specifically hope to develop drugs capable of inhibiting key enzymes needed in the conversion process.
Sign up for a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs called First to Know by clicking here.
SOURCE: Cancer Research, published June 1, 2008
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
|
.gif)
