The ghrelin axis as a target for prostate cancer therapy
Prostate cancer affects one in nine Australian men in their lifetime, and although there have been great advances in treatments, advanced prostate cancer remains incurable. Current treatments often lead to side effects which affect quality of life. We have found that the appetite hormone, ghrelin, stimulates prostate cancer cell growth and may be a useful target for prostate cancer therapy. It is predicted that targeting the ghrelin axis will prevent some of the side effects of other treatments that reduce quality of life for patients.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Australia. Patients with advanced disease are treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), but cancers inevitably become resistant, leading to castrate resistant prostate cancer, which is incurable.
Androgen deprivation therapy has a number of significant side effects, including hyperinsulinaemia and obesity, which may also play a role in driving tumour progression and are risk factors for more aggressive disease. Their incidence in Australian men is increasing at an alarming rate. The multifunctional hormone, ghrelin, plays roles in appetite stimulation, obesity, insulin balance and processes that promote cancer progression.
Investigators
| Lisa Chopin | APCRC-Q, IHBI, QUT, TRI |
| Adrian Herington | APCRC-Q, IHBI, QUT, TRI |
| Chen Chen | |
| Inge Seim | APCRC-Q, IHBI, QUT, TRI |
| Rakesh Naduvile Veedu |
