ALS drug may help treat prostate cancer

Researchers have discovered a new use for an old drug as a potential treatment for prostate cancer. The findings are published in the journal The Prostate.

Since the 1940s, androgens have been linked to prostate cancer, and decades of work since have focused on androgen receptor (AR), a nuclear receptor transcription factor. Although AR drives prostate cancer, inhibiting it induces remission for only a short time. Investigators have found that a drug approved for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—called riluzole—promotes the degradation of AR through a distinct pathway.

The findings suggest that riluzole should be investigated clinically for prostate cancer and predict that it may be effective for both early stage and advanced disease," said senior author Dr. Shahriar Koochekpour, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.