PROTAC technology for prostate cancer treatment.

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the most prevalent urogenital cancer in men, marked by uncontrolled cellular growth that leads to abnormal enlargement of the prostate gland. The metastatic spread of PrCa is the primary cause of mortality, causing cancer cells disseminate to distant sites, such as bones, the pelvis, and other organs. Key contributors to PrCa progression include genetic mutations, elevated androgen receptor (AR) expression, gene amplification, and the rise of AR splice variants. Although androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) remains the mainstay for early-stage PrCa treatment, its efficacy is rather temporary, as many cases advance to castration-resistant PrCa (CRPC), presenting a significant therapeutic hurdle. This review explores key biomarkers for PrCa and the latest therapeutic strategies for CRPC, with a particular focus on the innovative Proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology. This approach offers a novel means of degrading target proteins, and we discuss how PROTACs hold potential as effective strategies to combat resistance mechanisms in CRPC.