Tag Archives: Health_Medical_Pharma

Testosterone and prostate cancer

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Prostate cancer growth is not always driven by testosterone, which is why hormone treatment sometimes fails.

It’s long been known that testosterone plays an important role in the progression of prostate cancer, but while some men with the disease see tumour growth slow, or even stop, many do not. Now, research from UT Southwestern Medical Center, US shows how late-stage tumours are driven via a different hormonal pathway, which explains why hormone treatment (reducing testosterone levels) may not be effective.

prostate cancer

Prostate cancer

The researchers analysed data from both humans and mice, and found that in advanced prostate cancer cases, testosterone is converted into a more powerful hormone that then accelerates tumour growth. Once this conversion occurs, the cancer is no longer dependent on testosterone to grow. Treatment to reduce testosterone at this stage, therefore, doesn’t have as great an effect.


This research paves the way for a treatment that could target the enzyme which is responsible for initiating production of the more potent hormone. It may also allow researchers to pinpoint other biomarkers that could help doctors ascertain how resistant a cancer is likely to be to testosterone-based treatment, and give different advice based on the test results.

Exotic mushrooms may fight prostate cancer

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Mushrooms used in Asia for medicinal purposes vanquished prostate tumour successfully in mice during early trials.

Polysaccharopeptide (PSP), a compound extracted from the “turkey tail” mushroom, was found to target prostate cancer stem cells and suppress their formation in mice, says a new study conducted by senior research fellow Patrick Ling.

Ling, from the Institute for Biomedical Health and Innovation (IHBI) at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) added that the results could be an important step towards fighting a disease that kills 3,000 Australian men a year, reports the journal Public Library of Science ONE.

“What we wanted to demonstrate was whether that compound could stop the development of prostate tumours in the first place,” said Ling, according to a Queensland statement.

Turkey tail mushrooms

Turkey tail mushrooms

“In the past, other inhibitors tested in research trials have been shown to be up to 70 percent effective, but we’re seeing 100 percent of this tumour prevented from developing with PSP. Importantly, we did not see any side effects from the treatment.”

Ling said conventional therapies were only effective in targeting certain cancer cells, not cancer stem cells, which initiated cancer and caused the disease to progress.


During the research trial, in collaboration with the University of Hong Kong and Provital Pty Ltd, transgenic mice that developed prostate tumours were fed PSP for 20 weeks.

Ling said no tumours were found in any of the mice fed PSP, whereas mice not given the treatment developed prostate tumours. He said the research suggested that PSP treatment could completely inhibit prostate tumour formation.