Can Prostate Cancer Patients be Prescribed Chinese Herbal Medicine? A Review of its Potential Modulatory Effects on the Androgen Receptor

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common disease among men worldwide, and conventional treatments for PCa typically involve surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, Chinese medicine (CM) has gained increasing attention as a complementary therapy for PCa treatment in recent decades. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), a form of CM, has been shown to have good potential in PCa treatment, particularly by targeting the androgen receptor (AR), which plays a critical role in the development and progression of PCa. CHM interventions have been shown to inhibit AR activity, thereby delaying the disease’s progression. Moreover, most PCa patients at a later stage usually develop castration-resistant disease and drug resistance, posing a daunting challenge to clinical treatment. CHM offers several advantages, including improvement of patients’ quality of life, amelioration of clinical symptoms, and prolongation of survival; therefore, it offers a new direction for PCa treatment. This review aims to examine the current literatures on CM interventions targeting AR in PCa treatment. The review provides valuable insights into the potential benefits of CM as a complementary therapy for PCa treatment.