Prostate cancer chemoprevention agents exhibit selective activity against early stage prostate cancer cells

Preclinical models for the identification of prostate cancer chemopreventio n agents are lacking. Based upon the notion that clinically useful chemopre vention agents should exhibit selective activity against early stage diseas e, studies were undertaken to assess whether chemoprevention agents selecti vely inhibited the growth of early stage prostate cancer, as compared to la te stage cancer. First, a series of cell and molecular studies were perform ed, which, when taken together, validated the use of a panel of prostate ce ll lines as a model of the different stages of carcinogenesis. Next, therap eutic responsiveness to ten different cytotoxic or chemoprevention agents w as evaluated. Chemoprevention agents exhibited selective activity against n ormal and early transformed prostate tissue, whereas cytotoxic agents were non-specific. Selective activity against early versus advanced prostate can cer cells is identified as a potential screening method for chemoprevention agents.