Combinatorial Drug Therapy with Phytochemicals as Adjuvants in Prostate Cancer Management

Prostate cancer is one of the leading cancers in men needs a long period for development from small lesion to become a clinical manifestation. The prostate specific antigen is a prominent tumor marker for prostate cancer. Androgens are involved in the development and progression of prostate cancer regulating the androgen receptor as androgen-dependent or androgen-independent types. The latter occurs in metastatic conditions of prostate cancer developed as hormone resistant prostate cancer (HRPC) that inappropriately activates transcription of other genes involved in molecular pathways inducing cellular proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. Since prostate cancer is characterized by slow growth and long latency period and thus integration of phytochemicals/compounds in combination with other existing therapies have promising future to manage cancer, thus controlling the disease progression and mortality rate. Therefore, the medicinal plants therapeutic or prophylactic activities on prostate cancer exhibiting anti-androgenic effects, depleting PSA, down-regulating expression of androgen receptor, regulating cell cycle regulators have promising future to be applied as adjuvant drugs in prostate cancer treatment.