Chemotherapy Increases Aggressiveness of Prostate Cancer via Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition

Chemotherapy Increases Aggressiveness of Prostate Cancer via Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition

Although chemotherapy has been used as a major therapeutic weapon against advanced prostate cancer, overcoming drug resistance is still a major challenge. Cancer has been known to diminish therapeutic effect by several molecular mechanisms– increasing efflux by recruiting cell membrane pumps and limiting drug diffusion by constructing leaky vasculature. Moreover, recent studies suggest that long-term treatment with chemotherapy may have detrimental effects for patients presenting with solid tumors. Specifically, prostate cancer epithelial cells develop resistance to chemotherapy and may convert into mesenchymal cells. This switching process, known as Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), is a critical precursor in prostate cancer invasion and metastasis.