Glucocorticoids and prostate cancer treatment: friend or foe?

• Main Authors: Bruce Montgomery, Heather H Cheng, James Drechsler, Elahe A Mostaghel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2014-06-01
• Series: Asian Journal of Andrology
• Subjects: androgen receptor; dihydrotestosterone; glucocorticoid receptor; glucocorticoids; prostate cancer; steroids; testosterone
• Online Access: http://www.ajandrology.com/article.asp?issn=1008-682X;year=2014;volume=16;issue=3;spage=354;epage=358;aulast=Montgomery

Glucocorticoids have been used in the treatment of prostate cancer to slow disease progression, improve pain control and offset side effects of chemo- and hormonal therapy. However, they may also have the potential to drive prostate cancer growth via mutated androgen receptors or glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). In this review we examine historical and contemporary use of glucocorticoids in the treatment of prostate cancer, review potential mechanisms by which they may inhibit or drive prostate cancer growth, and describe potential means of defining their contribution to the biology of prostate cancer.