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Prostate Cancer

Why we focus on Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Western men, accounting for over 250,000 deaths per year worldwide. Although about half of prostate cancer patients will die with the cancer rather than of it, prostate cancer is still the second leading cause of male cancer death. It is currently difficult to distinguish between latent and aggressive cancers, and once prostate cancer spreads, it is incurable.  Therefore, it is important to identify factors that influence both prostate cancer progression and the therapeutic response, and which could be used to develop biomarkers for tumour behaviour and potential targets for novel therapies.

What we do

  • Establish and maintain a male urogenital cancer tissue bank.
  • Identify critical genes in the development and progression of prostate cancer using a genome-wide analysis approach.
  • Identify biomarkers to predict aggressive prostate cancer.
  • Investigate the mechanism and consequence of genomic alterations in prostate cancer development.
  • Investigate the genetic and environmental factors associated with key genomic alterations in prostate cancer.
  • Develop experimental therapies based on specific genetic changes in cancer cells.
  • Investigate the potential of using gene therapy for prostate cancer treatment, including the application of adenovirus.
  • Investigate anti-tumour efficacy and mechanisms of co-inhibitors of androgen receptor activity in late stage prostate cancer.
  • Run clinical trials of optimised hormone therapy for prostate cancer, and alternative hormone and chemotherapy.

Key Publications

  • Kote-Jarai et al. Seven novel prostate cancer susceptibility loci identified by a mutli-stage genome-wide association study. Nat Genet 2011; 43(8): 785-91.
  • Mao et al. Chromosome rearrangement associated inactivation of tumour suppressor genes in prostate cancer. Am J Cancer Res 2011; 1: 604-17.
  • Coll Bastus et al. Androgen-induced TMPRSS2:ERG fusion in nonmalignant prostate epithelial cells. Cancer Res 2010; 70: 9544-8.
  • Mao et al. Distinct genomic alterations suggest alternative pathways of prostate carcinogenesis in Chinese and Western populations. Cancer Res 2010; 70: 5207-12.
  • Shamash et al. A validated prognostic index predicting response to dexamethasone and diethylstilbestrol in castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Cancer 2010; 116: 3595-602.
  • Shamash et al. A phase II study investigating the re-induction of endocrine sensitivity following chemotherapy in androgen-independent prostate cancer. Br J Cancer 2008; 98: 22-4.

Who does the research

→ Click here for BCI senior researchers working on prostate cancer.

Major Funders

  • Orchid
  • Association for International Cancer Research
  • Cancer Research UK
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • MRC