Androgen receptor variant-7: an important predictive biomarker in castrate resistant prostate cancer

Asian J Androl. 2015 May-Jun;17(3):439-40. doi: 10.4103/1008-682X.145069.

Abstract

The recent manuscript in New England Journal of Medicine by Antonarakis et al. [1] has important clinical implications. This study evaluates mRNA expression of a particular androgen receptor splice variant-7 (AR-V7), in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients receiving enzalutamide or abiraterone. The findings were striking, none of the 18 patients with detectable AR-V7 in CTCs had prostate-specific antigen (PSA) responses. Further, the median time to PSA progression after enzalutamide or abiraterone treatment was only 1.3-1.4 months in AR-V7-positive patients as compared to 5.3-6.1 months in AR-V7 negative patients. AR-V7 in CTCs was also associated with shorter survival.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Androstenols / therapeutic use*
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Phenylthiohydantoin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / genetics*
  • RNA, Neoplasm / analysis*
  • Receptors, Androgen / genetics*

Substances

  • Androstenols
  • RNA, Neoplasm
  • Receptors, Androgen
  • Phenylthiohydantoin