Chapters authored
Genetic Polymorphism and Prostate Cancer: An Update
Genetic polymorphism and prostate cancer (PC) are the most pernicious and recurrently malignancy worldwide. It is the most dominating cause of cancer related casualty among men in the US. Asian countries are inflicted with PC at an alarming rate though still the prevalence of PC is lower than European and American men. Some of the genetic and environmental factors that might play a role in PC risk include: age genetic predilection, family history, race/ethnicity, lifestyle, and dietary habits and non-dietary environmental risk factors such as smoking. Socio-economic factors including economic, scholastic and intellectual factors do not, intrinsically seem to straight away influence the risk of acquiring PC. Other genetic changes that may support an increased risk of developing PC include HPC1, HPC2, HPCX, CAPB, ATM,s HOXB13 and mismatch repair genes. PC occurrence rates are highly variable. Almost all PC mortalities are due to metastatic disease, generally through tumors the progress to be hormone refractory or castrate resistant. PC, developing research has acknowledged a number of candidate genes and biological pathways associated with PC. Indirect pathways such as P13K/AKT signaling pathway is one of most well known alternate pathway in PC Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is widely known to be potent stimulator of angiogenesis. The over expression of EGFR in a very large majority of cases is accompanied by the succession of PC, implying that this may play a mechanistic role. Numerous occupational factors have been proposed to cause PC. Some of the risk factors include; farmers/agricultural workers, pesticides, shift work and flight personnel. PC treatment can be done through surgery, radical prostatectomy is the main type of surgery. Risks of injury are many – reactions to anesthesia, loss of blood, blood clumps in the legs/lungs, injury to surrounding organs, infection at the site of surgery and many more. The other treatments are hormone therapy, chemotherapy and radio therapy chemotherapy. Chemotherapeutic drugs are typically used one at a time for PC such as transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). Some of the chemotherapeutic drugs are Docetaxel, Cabazitaxel, Mitoxantrone and Estramustine. Among the score of biomarkers being studied, numerous markers and techniques deserve awareness and acceptability for both patients and urologists in clinical practice.
Part of the book: Genetic Polymorphisms
Overview of Primary Cell Culture Models in Preclinical Research of Prostate and Bladder Cancer
The number of patients diagnosed with prostate and bladder cancer is increasing worldwide and one of the most important challenges remains the development of effective, safe and economically viable antitumor drugs. Clinical approval for drugs tested in preclinical studies enabling them to enter phase I clinical trials is essential. Cell lines are in vitro model systems that are widely used in different fields of medical research, especially basic cancer research and drug discovery. Their usefulness is primarily linked to their ability to provide an indefinite source of biological material for experimental purposes. Under the right conditions and with appropriate controls, authenticated cancer cell lines retain most of the genetic properties of the cancer of origin. Studies conducted during the initial development of drugs such as toxicity, corrosion and drug activity were carried out on animals; however, in the past two decades, alternatives have been sought due to the fact that animals do not effectively model to human in vivo conditions and unexpected responses are observed in the studies. Also, more than 100 million animals were used and billion dollars were spent for animal toxicity experiments. Cell culture studies made positive contributions to the initial development of drugs and is highly desirable, as it provides systems for ready, direct access and evaluation of tissues. Contrary to animal studies, less cost and the need for low drug and a short response time are the characteristics for in vitro cell culture methods. In vitro tumor models are a necessary tool, in not only the search for new substances showing antitumor activity but additionally for assessing their effectiveness. This chapter reviews the main features of primary cancer cell cultures, provides an overview of the different methods for their selection and management, and summarizes the wide range of studies that can be performed with them to improve the understanding of prostate and bladder cancer preclinical treatment processes.
Part of the book: Cell Culture