Emerging evidence suggests that the prolonged therapeutic use of androgen receptor (AR)-targeting agents in patients with prostate cancer induces histological dedifferentiation and lineage alterations. Roubaud and colleagues propose that AR suppression creates a checkpoint by which potent therapies exert a selective pressure on prostate cancer cells, favouring dedifferentiated and/or treatment-resistant cell lineages. The authors present a new clinical trial strategy in which rapid drug cycling is used to delay the onset of resistance and treatment-induced lineage crisis in patients with prostate cancer.
- Guilhem Roubaud
- Bobby C. Liaw
- David J. Mulholland
