Disparities in Intratumoral Steroidogenesis
Abstract
The goal of these studies is to identify a biological origin underlying the racial disparity in prostate cancer incidence and mortality and to determine whether we can modulate this disparity by therapeutically targeting elevated cholesterol. Prostate cancer disproportionately affects African American men; they are more than 1.5 times as likely then Caucasian men to develop prostate cancer and nearly 2.5 times as likely to die of prostate cancer. The reasons for this racial disparity in prostate cancer incidence and mortality are unknown but may stem from economic, social, psychological and biological origins. In the current proposal we hypothesize that one biological reason for the higher rates of prostate cancer incidence and mortality in African Americans is that the level of critical hormones that promote tumor growth (i.e. androgens e.g. testosterone) and the enzymes that form them are elevated in the prostate tumors of African American men. We further hypothesize that elevated cholesterol, which is an essential component of androgen formation, contributes to androgen formation in prostate tumors at a higher rate in African American vs. Caucasian men. In this proposal we will examine the prostates of men with prostate cancer (50 percent African American, 50 percent Caucasian) after surgery to remove the prostate and determine whether there is a difference in testosterone and related androgens, as well as the enzymes that create them in the prostates of African American vs. Caucasian men.The second aspect of this proposal is to determine whether we can reduce the levels of testosterone and related androgens and slow the growth of prostate tumors. We have developed animal models that permit us to determine the effects of elevated cholesterol on prostate tumor growth.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1047627
Entities
People
- Stephen J. Freedland
Organizations
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center