Autophagy in Prostate Cancer and Androgen Suppression Therapy

The role of autophagy is known to be highly complex and context-dependent, leading to both cancer suppression and progression in several tumors including melanoma, breast and prostate cancer. In the present review, recent advances in an understanding of the involvement of autophagy in prostate cance...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Claudia Giampietri, Antonio Facchiano, Antonio Filippini, Silvia Conti, Elettra Sara Marini, Donatella Starace, Elio Ziparo, Simonetta Petrungaro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2013-06-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/14/6/12090
Description
Summary:The role of autophagy is known to be highly complex and context-dependent, leading to both cancer suppression and progression in several tumors including melanoma, breast and prostate cancer. In the present review, recent advances in an understanding of the involvement of autophagy in prostate cancer treatment are described. The regulatory effects of androgens on prostate cancer cell autophagy are particularly discussed in order to highlight the effects of autophagy modulation during androgen deprivation. A critical evaluation of the studies examined in the present review suggests the attractive possibility of autophagy inhibition combined with hormonal therapy as a promising approach for prostate cancer treatment.
ISSN:1422-0067