Centre for Urological Research

Stem Cells in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a malignant disease that originates in epithelial cells. As such, much of the current cancer research focuses on epithelial cells, or more specifically, the epithelial ‘stem cells’ and the changes that occur as the cells progress from normal to malignant tissue.
The role of the stromal cells surrounding the malignant epithelium is less frequently considered, although there is compelling evidence that the way the two different types of cells signal, or talk, to each other, are integral to the development of a tumour. Stromal cells called “fibroblasts” also undergo cancer-specific changes. Importantly, these “carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs)” have been shown to promote prostate cancer progression.