Stranger Things: New Roles and Opportunities for Androgen Receptor in Oncology Beyond Prostate Cancer

Javier Leo; Eleonora Dondossola; Kaitlin J Basham; Nathaniel R Wilson; Omar Alhalabi; Jianjun Gao; Katherine C Kurnit; Michael G White; Jennifer L McQuade; Shannon N Westin; Elizabeth A Wellberg; Daniel E Frigo

doi:10.1210/endocr/bqad071

Stranger Things: New Roles and Opportunities for Androgen Receptor in Oncology Beyond Prostate Cancer

Endocrinology. 2023 Apr 17;164(6):bqad071. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqad071.

Authors

Javier Leo^{1

2}, Eleonora Dondossola³, Kaitlin J Basham⁴, Nathaniel R Wilson⁵, Omar Alhalabi³, Jianjun Gao³, Katherine C Kurnit⁶, Michael G White⁷, Jennifer L McQuade⁸, Shannon N Westin⁹, Elizabeth A Wellberg¹⁰, Daniel E Frigo^{1

3

11

12}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77054, USA.
² The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
³ Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and the David H. Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinary Cancers, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁴ Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
⁵ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁶ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Section of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
⁷ Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁸ Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁹ Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Pathology, Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, and Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA.
¹¹ Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA.
¹² Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA.

Abstract

The androgen receptor (AR) is one of the oldest therapeutic targets in oncology and continues to dominate the treatment landscape for advanced prostate cancer, where nearly all treatment regimens include some form of AR modulation. In this regard, AR remains the central driver of prostate cancer cell biology. Emerging preclinical and clinical data implicate key roles for AR in additional cancer types, thereby expanding the importance of this drug target beyond prostate cancer. In this mini-review, new roles for AR in other cancer types are discussed as well as their potential for treatment with AR-targeted agents. Our understanding of these additional functions for AR in oncology expand this receptor's potential as a therapeutic target and will help guide the development of new treatment approaches.

Keywords: adrenal cancer; androgen receptor; bladder cancer; breast cancer; endometrial cancer; liver cancer; melanoma; prostate cancer.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Androgen Receptor Antagonists / pharmacology
Androgen Receptor Antagonists / therapeutic use
Antineoplastic Agents* / pharmacology
Humans
Male
Prostatic Neoplasms* / drug therapy
Prostatic Neoplasms* / metabolism
Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant* / metabolism
Receptors, Androgen / genetics
Receptors, Androgen / metabolism
Signal Transduction

Substances

Androgen Receptor Antagonists
Antineoplastic Agents
Receptors, Androgen
AR protein, human

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding