The androgen receptor and signal-transduction pathways in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Part 1: modifications to the androgen receptor.

The article reports that at present there are no effective treatment options for patients who develop androgen escape. Although clinical trials with only antiandrogen therapy improve the quality of life of the patient, it does not alter survival. The development of androgen escape is therefore one of the most significant events in the progression of prostate cancer, resulting in a greater risk of morbidity, and reduced survival. The lack of novel and effective therapies to treat androgen escape is a result of the poor understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of both the primary disease, and more particularly, those events which drive androgen escape.