IAP as a new diagnostic and effective therapeutic target molecule for prostate cancer

Summary Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death among men in the United States. The conversion from androgen-dependent to androgen-independent state constitutes an important event in prostate cancer progression and is the main obstacle to improving the survival and quality of life in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Considerable progress has been made in the understanding of the molecular basis of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer progression and the development of the androgen-independent characteristics have been largely related to genetic abnormalities that not only androgen receptor (AR) but also crucial molecules involved in the regulation of survival or apoptotic pathways. One of these molecules including p53 and the B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family, the antiapoptotic protein, the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) have been associated with the promotion of tumorigenesis and drug sensitivity in prostate cancer due to their overexpression in prostate cancer cells treated with androgen ablation or chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, IAPs may be of great value in clinical and prognostic markers in patients with prostate cancer and therapies that target IAPs may have the potential to improve outcomes for patients. In this review, we focus on the experimental evidence that associates IAPs expression with prostate carcinogenesis and cancer progression, and summarize the roles of IAPs in chemotherapy to develop a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.