Treatment with anti-androgens may accelerate the growth of bone metastases in advanced stages of prostate cancer.
In a significant development, a groundbreaking study conducted by Dr Nathalie Bock and her research group, under the guidance of Distinguished Professor Dietmar Hutmacher, has been commended by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). The study, titled "In vitro engineering of a bone metastases model allows us to study the effects of antiandrogen therapies in advanced prostate cancer," was published in the prestigious journal Science Advances (DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.05.002).
The study, led by Prof. Dr. Sonja V. W. Moosmann, bioengineered a microenvironment of a bone tumour to assess the effects of enzalutamide and bicalutamide on tumour cells. The interactions between the cancer cells, the bone, and the anti-androgens significantly impacted the progress of cancer in the mineralised microenvironment of bone tumours.
Professor Jeff Dunn AO, CEO of PCFA, described the findings as significant, stating that they will help in better targeting treatments for different types of prostate cancer. He further emphasised the importance of ongoing research to improve understanding of how treatments impact disease progression and spread.
The research is supported by the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia, Australian Research Council, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. The upscaled bone tumour microenvironment model platform, developed as part of this study, could enable the prostate cancer research community to develop therapies for a more effective treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
Dr Bock, who specialises in research on bone metastases from breast and prostate cancers, plans to use the model with patient-derived cells from patients undergoing prostatectomy, making it a personalised preclinical diagnostic and drug testing tool in the future.
Australia has one of the highest incidence rates of prostate cancer internationally, with 1 in every 6 Australian men likely to be diagnosed during their lifetime and around 17,000 men diagnosed each year. While survival rates for prostate cancer are high, with over 95% of men likely to survive at least five years, there is a need to keep up the pace of work to find curative treatments, especially for advanced disease in the bone.
Professor Dunn expressed that this research will build on previous discoveries to help save lives by stopping cancer from spreading and claiming the lives of more than 3,000 men a year, as is currently the case. He described the research as Australian research excellence at its finest.
This research marks a crucial step forward in the fight against advanced prostate cancer, offering hope for thousands of men and their families. The findings will undoubtedly inspire further research and collaboration in the pursuit of more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
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