Clinical relevance of the inhibitory effect of green tea catechins (GtCs) on prostate cancer progression in combination with molecular profiling of catechin-resistant tumors: an integrated view

Abstract

Prostate cancer (CaP) is a fast-growing health and social problem already representing the second leading cause of cancer-related death among men in Western countries. Lifestyle-related factors and diet are major contributors for CaP promotion. Because of unfavourable prognosis of extra-prostatic CaP, prevention is considered the best approach to fight it at present time. Green Tea Catechins (GTCs) were proven effective at inhibiting cancer growth in several laboratory studies. We recently performed a pilot clinical trial in HG-PIN subjects showing that only 1/30 tumour was diagnosed in subjects treated for 1 year with 600 mg/die GTCs, while 9/30 cancers were found in placebo-treated men. CaP is an elusive disease, whose biological behaviour is difficult to predict. We have recently described and validated a RT-qPCR method based on a 8-genes signature that significantly discriminated benign tissue from CaP in both humans and TRAMP mice spontaneously developing CaP. In the animal model, also GTCs-resistant CaP was significantly discriminated from GTCs-sensitive CaP, i.e. responding to GTCs administration. Preliminary experiments in our laboratory have shown that this method can be successfully applied to a single tissue needle biopsy specimen in humans. The combination of these results may be of particular significance on the field. In fact, GTCs treatment for men at high risk of CaP as first line prevention therapy in combination with the 8-genes signature profiling in tissue needle biopsies for real time monitoring of patient's response might importantly change, in the near future, the clinical managing of this highly diffuse malignancy.