The Prostate
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A stroma targeted therapy enhances castration effects in a transplantable rat prostate cancer model.
Castration results in a major involution of the normal prostate gland. This process is initiated by effects in the prostate stroma and vasculature. Castration-induced regression of androgen sensitive prostate tumors is however less prominent and hypothetically this could be related to a limited stromal/vascular response. We therefore used animal tumor models to explore the importance of stroma and vascular effects, and if castration effects could be enhanced by a simultaneous therapy targeting the tumor stroma. ⋯ The stroma in highly differentiated androgen sensitive Dunning tumors is apparently androgen insensitive. If this unresponsive stroma is targeted the effects of castration can be enhanced.