Molecular pathology of prostate cancer: the key to identifying new biomarkers of disease

Ruth Foley, Donal Hollywood, Mark Lawler, Mark Lawler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Microarray technology has recently accelerated the study of the molecular events involved in prostate cancer, offering the prospect of more precise prognosis and new therapeutic strategies. This review summarises current knowledge of the molecular pathology of prostate cancer. The expression and function of numerous genes have been shown to be altered in prostate cancer. Many of these genes are involved in cell cycle regulation, steroid hormone metabolism or regulation of gene expression. The mechanisms by which androgen independence arises are discussed, including cross-activation, gene amplification and point mutations of the androgen receptor. Analysis of changes in the levels of expression of large numbers of genes during prostate cancer progression have provided a better understanding of the basis of the disease, yielding new molecular markers, such as hepsin, with potential use in diagnosis and prognosis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)477-88
Number of pages12
JournalEndocrine-Related Cancer
Volume11
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2004

Keywords

  • Humans
  • Male
  • Molecular Biology
  • Prostatic Neoplasms
  • Tumor Markers, Biological

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