Hypoxia in prostate cancer: A powerful shield against tumour destruction?

Tumour hypoxia is progressively emerging as a common feature of prostate tumours associated with poor prognosis. White the molecular basis of disease progression is increasingly well documented, the potential rote of hypoxia in these processes remains poorly evaluated. By dissecting the impact of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha on molecular responses, this review provides evidence for a powerful protecting rote of oxygen deprivation against oxidative stress injury, androgen deprivation, chemotherapeutic and radiation cytotoxicity. We propose hypoxia as a potent tumour-induced shield against destruction and suggest its targeting may need to be routinely addressed in the management of prostate cancer. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.