I should amend what I said before.  There are some treatments
based on understanding of genetic damage for some types
of cancer.  I haven't heard of any that are yet approved for
prostate cancer.  But I think it's likely that, over the next 10-20
years, there will be some.

They've gone beyond that now.

Genes are sequences of DNA that encode instructions for
assembling proteins.  The process is very like program code for a
computer.  Each group of three nucleotide pairs in a DNA strand
codes for a specific amino acid, and a string of these triplets
codes for a string of amino acids - which are what constitutes a
protein.  It's more complicated than that, but that's the general
idea.

The proteins that are produced from gene "transcription" do
things in the cell.  Some of them are needed in cell division and
replication.  Some are needed for the cell to attach to the place
where it should reside.  Some receive chemical signals from
outside the cell and translate those signals into actions inside
the cell.  Some control cell death - helping to kill the cell if
it becomes abnormal, or preventing the cell from killing itself.

Cancer cells have damaged DNA.  The DNA might have been damaged
by carcinogenic agents in food, air, water, etc.  Or by
radiation, or by natural processes that produce a certain
percentage of errors every time a cell divides - processes that
become more and more error prone as we get older.  Damage in some
areas of our DNA often causes errors that, in turn, lead to
further damage, which leads to more, etc.

It is now possible to take cancerous cells from a patient and
analyze them to find out what proteins are in the cells.  They
can then do the same with healthy cells and compare the results.
If they find too much or too little of a particular protein,
compared to the healthy cells, they can infer genetic damage in
the genes that produce those proteins, or in other genes that
regulate the production process.

In cancer cells, they will find too much of one or another
protein that promotes cell division and growth, or that blocks
cell death, or too little of one or another protein that blocks
cell division and growth, or promotes cell death in abnormal
circumstances.

The researchers are trying to use this information to develop
chemical attacks on the cancer.  For example, if there is too
much of some unusual protein, maybe they can use that as a marker
for the delivery of cell killing drugs.  If there's too little of
something, maybe they can inject it into the patient, or get it
to the cells by piggybacking on some other process.

It's all terrifically hard to do.  The complexity is enormous.
But, as one scientist put it, the difficulties and complexities
are very great, but not infinite.  The problems will be solved
eventually if we just keep working on them.

   Alan

   Alan