Scientists find ‘unexpected’ link between two prostate cancer treatments

Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered an "unexpected" connection between two common treatments for prostate cancer.

Patients are often treated with radiation and androgen ablation. However, the study has revealed that a cellular signalling pathway activated by radiation can also control a cell's sensitivity to androgen, a male hormone than supports the growth of prostate cancer cells.

This means the sensitivity of androgen can influence how susceptible prostate cancer cells are to the radiation treatment used to destroy them.

Scientists are therefore turning their attention to developing drugs that capitalise on this discovery.

This means that clinical trials to test potential new treatments for prostate cancer could take place in the next few years and help deliver improved clinical outcomes.

Dan Gioeli, one of the researchers behind the study, commented: "Now we have a novel link between two different standards of care for advanced prostate cancer.

"We have a new molecular understanding of how those two different standards of care might be connected."