Modeling human prostate cancer in genetically engineered mice

The progression of prostate cancer is a slow and multiple-step process; clinically detectable prostate cancer normally manifest in aged men, although the lesions may have originated much earlier in life. Animal models that mimic the initiation, progression, and metastasis of human prostate cancer are needed to understand the etiology of prostate cancer and to develop new treatments. Recent progress in mouse genetic engineering technology has led to generation of a series of mouse models for prostate cancer research, which have been widely used for testing impacts of a single or combinations of several gene alterations on the onset, progression, and metastasis of prostate tumors, as well as for assessing the effects of environmental, clinical, and preclinical drugs for prostate cancer prevention and treatment. Although it is possible that no single "perfect" model can recapitulate every aspects of this highly heterogeneous disease, it is expected that the models mimicking certain aspects of prostate cancers will continue to provide preclinical guide to treat this prevalent disease.