Treating a tumor to metastasize

Abstract

Cancer Therapy The standard treatment for prostate cancer, androgen deprivation therapy, is associated with increased transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling, which can promote metastasis. Working in mice, Chen et al. found that androgen receptor activation induced a transcriptional repressor of the TGFβ pathway. However, androgen deprivation therapy decreased the levels of this transcriptional repressor, leading to increased TGFβ signaling and prostate tumor metastasis. Thus, the standard treatment for prostate cancer may prevent growth in the primary tumor but could inadvertently promote metastasis. Sci. Signal. 10 , eaam6826 (2017).