Autochthonous mouse models for prostate cancer: past, present and future

Prostate cancer continues to be the second leading cancer related death amo ng men. In order to more fully develop effective prevention and interventio n strategies for this prevalent disease, the underlying molecular mechanism s of initiation, progression and metastatic spread must be understood. To t his end mouse models have an essential role in prostate cancer research in that they can closely mimic the pathological and biochemical features of th e disease. In this review we discuss the history of autochthonous murine mo dels of prostate cancer, the essentials of the idealized mouse model for pr ostate cancer and speculate on approaches towards this goal.