Getting closer to prostate cancer in patients - what scientists should want from clinicians

For scientists pursuing drug development for prostate cancer,it is critical that an appropriate ex vivo or in vitro model system is available for study.Cancer research has generally consisted of:(1)finding the means to arrest fast growing cancer cells;or(2)(as a compromise)to slow down the excessive rate of cell growth;or in the best case(3)to kill the cancer cells whilst sparing the surrounding normal tissues.As the knowledge of the biological nature of the cancer cell improves,it has become increasingly apparent that such a simplistic attitude to cancer therapy development or indeed diagnosis is rapidly outdated,and a closer liaison between the clinic and the laboratory studies is more important than ever as the author seeks to target specific gene expression pathways,specific signaling pathways,cancer specific mutations and indeed the interactions between cancer cells and their micro-environment,all of which provide a tremendous potential for novel therapeutic development.