Prostate cancer: a dynamic illness with shifting targets.

Overview

Despite high response rates and palliative clinical benefits, androgen ablation does not cure advanced prostate cancer because of the inevitable emergence of resistant cells. Many new therapies under development for prostate cancer target pathways and molecules that contribute to the growth and survival of these cells. The rational and effective use of targeted therapies to eradicate resistant populations of tumour cells should be grounded on the premise that prostate cancer is a dynamic disease that evolves as it progresses, and that specific molecular determinants mediating sensitivity and resistance may be relevant only during specific states of the disease. Directed approaches must account for this changing dynamic so that clinical outcomes may be improved.