The androgen receptor: A promising treatment for breast cancer

In an international collaborative research program led by Professor Wayne Tilley from the Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories at the University of Adelaide, it has been confirmed that the androgen receptor (AR) protein is a tumour suppressor in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. The AR binds circulating sex steroid hormones, androgens, such as testosterone which are often associated with males but also circulate at lower levels in females and have important physiological roles. The AR transports the hormone into cells and binds to DNA, where the researchers have found targets genes in ER+ breast cancers that are involved in directly inhibiting tumour growth. Furthermore, there is evidence that AR may be more effective than existing cancer treatments and can be used in conjunction with some existing treatments to inhibit tumour growth. The former Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men’s Health and Wellbeing is proud to have helped fund this program of research, along with major grant support received from NHMRC, Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, Movember and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.