New study uncovers important prostate cancer mechanism

A new mechanism by which prostate cancer develops in men has been discovered by scientists at the Mayo Clinic.

The research team has found that SPOP – a protein that is most frequently mutated in human prostate cancers – is a key regulator of androgen receptor activity, which prevents the uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate and thus helps prevent cancer.

Since SPOP selectively destroys androgen receptor protein, changes to SPOP results in an overabundance of androgen receptor, a master regulator of prostate cancer cell growth, thus driving the development of the disease.

SPOP mutations have been detected in around 15 percent of prostate cancer cases – moreover, the protein is expressed at abnormally low levels in about 35 percent of prostate cancers.

Dr Haojie Huang, Mayo Clinic biochemist and senior author of the paper, said: "We may one day be able to develop more effective treatments for a substantial proportion of prostate cancer patients who have developed resistance to standard antiandrogen therapy."

Currently, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with over 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year.