Certain nerves support the growth of prostate cancer via a tumor vessel proliferating “switch,” according to a study by researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. This finding could potentially lead to a new strategy for treating prostate cancer.

Share on Pinterest Sympathetic nerve fibers (in green) are interlaced with blood vessels (in white) in an early-stage prostate cancer tumor.

Image credit: Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Paul Frenette, of the Departments of Medicine and Cell Biology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, NY, led the study. The findings from the new research are published in the journal Science.

“Solid tumors depend on an expanding blood supply to thrive,” says Dr. Frenette. “Here we show that nerves stimulate the new blood vessels that encourage prostate tumor growth and that we can short-circuit nerve stimulation to prevent new vessels from forming.”

“This opens up an entirely new strategy for treating prostate cancer — one that we may be able to pursue using existing drugs,” he adds.

Every single year, more than 172,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and more than 28,000 people die from the disease. Aside from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among U.S. men.

Earlier research by Dr. Frenette and colleagues discovered that nerves play a primary role in the development and spread of prostate tumors.