Colonisation resistance

Biology

Prostate cancer

Testosterone (patch)

Endocrinology

Cancer research

Endocrine system

Immunology

Antibiotics

Microbiology

Internal medicine

Prostate

Hormone

Gut flora

Medicine

Androgen

Castration

Cancer

Science

Microbes hijack prostate cancer therapy Androgens such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone are essential for male reproduction and sexual function. Androgens can also influence the growth of prostate tumor cells, and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) either by surgical means (castration) or pharmacological approaches (hormone suppression), is the cornerstone of current prostate cancer treatments. Pernigoni et al . found that when the body was deprived of androgens during ADT, the gut microbiome could produce androgens from androgen precursors (see the Perspective by McCulloch and Trinchieri). Gut commensal microbiota in ADT-treated patients or castrated mice produced androgens that were absorbed into the systemic circulation. These microbe-derived androgens appeared to favor the growth of prostate cancer and helped to facilitate development into a castration- or endocrine therapy–resistant state. —PNK

Commensal bacteria promote endocrine resistance in prostate cancer through androgen biosynthesis