Role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in prostate cancer development and progression

Prostate cancer (PC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men in America and Western Europe. Epidemiological studies suggest that prostate cancer incidence & increased in last few years in Asia. The causes or consequences of increasing trend of prostate cancer incidence are not completely known. Emerging evidences suggest that among the many risk factors, inflammation is the major risk factor for developing prostate cancer and its progression to metastasis. It is proposed that exposure to environmental factors such as infectious agents, dietary agents and saturated lipids leads to injury of the prostate due to chronic inflammation and regenerative risk factor lesions referred to as proliferative inflammatory atrophy (PIA). These phenomena predominantly control by a number of pro-inflammatory macromolecules such as chemokines, and their receptors. Some recent studies suggest that many of these pro-inflammatory chemokines and their receptors are the products of protooncogenes in many cancers including that of the prostate. This review focus on the current biology of chemokines and chemokine receptors in prostate cancer. An understanding of this axis may enable researchers to develop targeted strategies for prostate cancer.