Search

Prostate cancer is a hormonally driven disease with a relatively long natural history and predictable pattern of metastasis. Intercellular growth factor signals play an important role in the progression of prostate cancer in both the hormone-intact setting as well as disease progression in the setting of androgen deprivation therapy. Many intercellular growth factors have been implicated in prostate cancer based on various levels of evidence, from epidemiological studies to preclinical models. In this chapter, we review some of the most prominent intercellular growth factor pathways involved in prostate cancer, particular in the so-called hormone-refractory setting. In particular, we focus on those pathways for which targeted therapeutics have been developed and are being tested in clinical trials for patients with advanced prostate cancer. In the future, insights into the biology of these intercellular targets may lead to patient selection for clinical trials based upon biomarker or molecular profiles in order to enrich for reponse to targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]