Research

Prostate Cancer: The Mystery of Metastasis

Prostate cancer can be one of the deadliest forms of cancer for men. One of its mysteries is why some forms of the disease spread to bones so quickly. A $10.5-million federal grant has been given to Seattle researchers to examine the causes of that phenomenon and accelerate the search for a cure to the disease.

National Cancer Institute Program Project Grant: "Mechanisms and Markers of Prostate Cancer Metastases" Amount Total: $10.5 million - University of Washington: $5.5 million - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: $2.7 million - Institute for Systems Biology: $2.3 million Projects covered under grant: Project 1: New Molecular Markers of Progressive Disease Project manager: Dr. Leroy Hood, co-founder and president, Institute for Systems Biology, and UW affiliate professor of bioengineering, immunology, and computer science and engineering Project 2: Prostate cancer growth in bone Project managers: Dr. Eva Corey, research associate professor of urology, and Dr. Robert Vessella, associate chair and professor of urology Project 3: Novel prostate proteases Project director: Dr. Peter Nelson, associate professor of medicine, adjunct associate professor or urology and pathology, and associate member of the human biology and clinical research divisions at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Project 4: Androgen-independence and growth factors in progression of cancer Project manager: Dr. Stephen Plymate, professor of medicine. Development Note Since the inception of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, contributors have given generously to the fund, and this year is no exception. Thomas E. and Gun Denhart made a significant commitment to the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. Their gift supports Dr. Celestia Higano's clinical research on treating recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer. Higano is an associate professor of medicine and of urology. National Cancer Institute Program Project Grant: "Mechanisms and Markers of Prostate Cancer Metastases" Amount Total: $10.5 million - University of Washington: $5.5 million - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: $2.7 million - Institute for Systems Biology: $2.3 million Projects covered under grant: Project 1: New Molecular Markers of Progressive Disease Project manager: Dr. Leroy Hood, co-founder and president, Institute for Systems Biology, and UW affiliate professor of bioengineering, immunology, and computer science and engineering Project 2: Prostate cancer growth in bone Project managers: Dr. Eva Corey, research associate professor of urology, and Dr. Robert Vessella, associate chair and professor of urology Project 3: Novel prostate proteases Project director: Dr. Peter Nelson, associate professor of medicine, adjunct associate professor or urology and pathology, and associate member of the human biology and clinical research divisions at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Project 4: Androgen-independence and growth factors in progression of cancer Project manager: Dr. Stephen Plymate, professor of medicine. Development Note Since the inception of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, contributors have given generously to the fund, and this year is no exception. Thomas E. and Gun Denhart made a significant commitment to the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. Their gift supports Dr. Celestia Higano's clinical research on treating recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer. Higano is an associate professor of medicine and of urology. [Sidebar] National Cancer Institute Program Project Grant: "Mechanisms and Markers of Prostate Cancer Metastases" Amount Total: $10.5 million - University of Washington: $5.5 million - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: $2.7 million - Institute for Systems Biology: $2.3 million Projects covered under grant: Project 1: New Molecular Markers of Progressive Disease Project manager: Dr. Leroy Hood, co-founder and president, Institute for Systems Biology, and UW affiliate professor of bioengineering, immunology, and computer science and engineering Project 2: Prostate cancer growth in bone Project managers: Dr. Eva Corey, research associate professor of urology, and Dr. Robert Vessella, associate chair and professor of urology Project 3: Novel prostate proteases Project director: Dr. Peter Nelson, associate professor of medicine, adjunct associate professor or urology and pathology, and associate member of the human biology and clinical research divisions at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Project 4: Androgen-independence and growth factors in progression of cancer Project manager: Dr. Stephen Plymate, professor of medicine. Development Note Since the inception of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, contributors have given generously to the fund, and this year is no exception. Thomas E. and Gun Denhart made a significant commitment to the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. Their gift supports Dr. Celestia Higano's clinical research on treating recurrent and metastatic prostate cancer. Higano is an associate professor of medicine and of urology.
The grant from the National Institutes of Health funds a multi-center, five-year investigation into metastasis, the spread of cancerous growth from one part of the body to another. Participating with the UW in this effort are Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Institute for Systems Biology.

"Understanding how and why prostate cancer can turn deadly is key to developing therapies that may effectively treat men with incurable recurrent or advanced prostate cancer," said Dr. Paul Lange, professor and chair of urology, who is also principal investigator on the grant.

The July 2002 grant was followed by $12.7-million grant from the National Cancer Institute to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The grant, known as the Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer Research Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE), is an initiative involving more than 50 investigators in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. Participating institutions in Seattle are the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the UW, and the Institute for Systems Biology. Vancouver partners are the University of British Columbia and its affiliate, the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital.

Prostate cancer is the No. 1 cancer to strike men, and the second leading cause of cancer death, after lung cancer, among men. One of every six men can expect to develop prostate cancer. The research conducted under both grants will include intensive study of the genes and proteins that make prostate cancer cells virulent and stimulate their deadly march to human bone.

"For a decade, the ongoing research at the UW and the Hutchinson Cancer Center have made the Northwest a hub for prostate cancer research and clinical care," said Lange. " In collaborations with Dr. Leroy Hood and his colleagues at the Institute for Systems Biology and with Dr. Martin Gleave, director of clinical research at the Vancouver General Hospital Prostate Centre, and his associates, we envision even greater capacity to make substantial advances."

While most prostate cancer can be treated with local therapy, the cancer sometimes spreads and foils the treatment plan. Previous studies at the UW have determined that many men, even those who are subsequently cured with local therapy, appear to have prostate cancer cells in their blood and bone marrow very early in the disease. It is not known why some of these cells turn into deadly metastatic cancer, while others remain dormant or die.

In 2003, the UW clinicians who specialize in prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy in the departments of Urology, Medical Oncology, and Radiation Oncology moved the prostate treatment center into new quarters at the UW Medical Center Surgery Pavilion. The facility will allow physicians from different departments to take a multidisciplinary approach to prostate cancer.

The UW and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have launched a joint fund-raising campaign to establish the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, which will include scientists from both institutions. Through the institute, the two institutions will work even more closely together on the search for a cure.
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