Targeting NFκB signaling as monotherapy or in combination with conventional anti-cancer drugs – for treatment of prostate cancer metastasis.

Tumour relapse and metastasis following conventional cancer therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are the main causes of death in prostate cancer patients. Resistance to conventional anti-cancer drugs used in clinical practise represents the most common factor associated with recurrence, treatment failure and mortality among advanced prostate cancer patients. Nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) plays an essential role in inflammation and development of various cancers, but its role in the regulation of prostate cancer recurrence and metastasis, and drug resistance associated with these metastases remains unknown. The aim of this research is to establish whether NFκB is functionally important for prostate cancer metastasis, and test if inhibition of NFκB - alone and in combination with conventional anti-cancer therapies – may provide a novel approach for the treatment of metastasis in advance prostrate cancer patients. If successful, the findings of this research will have translational potential in offering the prospect of identifying NFκB inhibitors - alone or in combination therapy with conventional cancer therapies - for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. This addresses a huge unmet clinical need, as metastasis and drug- and castration-acquired resistance to conventional anti-cancer therapy are major clinical problems in advanced cancer patients.