Cancer Science & Therapy

Multicellular Spheroid Culture Models: Applications in prostate Cancer Research and Therapeutics

Abstract

Daisuke Kurioka, Akimitsu Takagi, Misao Yoneda, Yoshifumi Hirokawa, Taizo Shiraishi and Masatoshi Watanabe

Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in men in Western countries, increasing in frequency with age through the most advanced years. Patients with localized prostate cancer are generally treated with radical prostectomy or radiation therapy. However, treatment of more malignant stages of the disease is problematic. Docetaxel-based chemotherapy in men with androgen-independent prostate cancer has been shown to have survival benefits but hormonal manipulation and other chemotherapeutic regimens, especially for androgen-independent lesions, have uncertain value. While research into the complex pathophysiology of advanced prostate cancer has led to identification of mechanisms and target molecules, it nevertheless remains necessary to develop new anticancer drugs. Cell culture models that mimic the structure and features of prostate cancer in vivo are necessary for research on tumor biology and design of novel anticancer therapies. In this context, 3-dimensional cultures of prostate cancer cells, including multicellular spheroid (MCS) cultures, started attracting increasing attention. The present review provides up-to-date information regarding the significance of MCS culture for identification of mechanisms underlying human malignancies, including prostate cancer, and possible targets for prostate cancer therapies.