New study blow [1].
Some who have read my zinc posts might remember Costello & Franklin. They seem to have been at it for ever (the first of 109 joint papers was in 1977). Their focus has been citrate & zinc in the prostate.
Anyway, here is an anecdotal case of a man with CRPC who:
"was treated with cabergoline [2] (dopamine agonist) treatment, which decreased the plasma prolactin 88%; by inhibiting the pituitary production of prolactin. The subsequent PET scan (positron emission tomography) revealed the absence of malignancy; and the CTC (circulating tumor cells) decreased from count=5.4 to count=0."
No doubt, you know Cabergoline for its "recreational use in reducing or eliminating the male refractory period, thereby allowing men to experience multiple ejaculatory orgasms in rapid succession". Those were the days!
I have often thought of tackling the PCa-Prolactin literature. There are, after all, 899 PubMed hits. But that's part of the problem. Even so, why is a hormone associated with breast feeding important in PCa? My most recent attempt was last year when I read a just-published paper by Costello & Franklin [3]:
"Especially relevant is the major metabolic function of production of high levels of citrate by the peripheral zone acinar epithelial cells. Citrate production, along with growth and proliferation by these cells, is regulated by co-existing testosterone and prolactin signaling pathways; and by the oncogenic down-regulation of ZIP1 transporter/zinc/citrate in the development of malignancy."
They conclude that "both testosterone ablation and prolactin ablation are required to prevent and/or abort terminal hormone-dependent prostate cancer."
They have been working up to this & it now looks as though they have proof of concept. However, I'd like to know if other CRPC cases were involved & what their experiences were.
-Patrick
[1] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/312...
Mathews J Case Rep. 2019;4(1). pii: 42. Epub 2019 May 8.
A Novel Patient Case Report to Show the Successful Termination of Untreatable Androgen-independent Prostate Cancer: Treatment with Cabergoline (Dopamine agonist).
Costello LC1, Franklin RB1, Yu GW2.
Author information
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Testosterone promotes the initial development of androgen-dependent prostate cancer. This is the basis for androgen ablation treatment, which attenuates, but does not terminate, the malignancy. Instead, it leads to prolactin-dependent malignancy; in which patient death generally occurs within 5 years. This report describes the novel treatment of a patient; which terminated androgen-independent prostate cancer.
RESULTS:
Patient "XY" was diagnosed with prostate malignancy and metastases. He received hormonal androgen ablation treatment, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment. He developed androgen-independent prostate cancer; with expected death in 2-3 years. He was treated with cabergoline (dopamine agonist) treatment, which decreased the plasma prolactin 88%; by inhibiting the pituitary production of prolactin. The subsequent PET scan (positron emission tomography) revealed the absence of malignancy; and the CTC (circulating tumor cells) decreased from count=5.4 to count=0.
DISCUSSION:
The cause of androgen-independent malignancy has been unknown, and an effective chemotherapy did not exist. The activities of normal and malignant prostate cells are regulated primarily by testosterone. When testosterone availability diminishes; prolactin regulation is manifested. This is represented when androgen ablation results in the development of prolactin-dependent malignancy. An effective chemotherapy would be targeted to eliminate the plasma prolactin-manifestation of the androgen-independent malignancy.
CONCLUSIONS:
This report of a novel chemotherapy for androgen-independent malignancy corroborates our understanding of the implications of prolactin in its development and treatment. There are about 165,000 cases/year with 25,000 deaths/year in the U.S.; and 1.0 million cases/year with 260,000 deaths/year worldwide. Those patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer can now employ this cabergoline treatment to prevent or terminate this deadly type of prostate cancer.
KEYWORDS:
Advanced Prostate Cancer; Androgen-Independent Malignancy; Cabergoline Treatment; Case Report
PMID: 31211288
[2] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caber...
[3] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Conclusions
Although the importance of testosterone in the development and maintenance of the prostate gland has been well recognized; its major metabolic/functional role of prostate citrate production has been ignored by most contemporary clinicians and biomedical investigators.
The importance of prolactin in the development and maintenance of the prostate gland has received little attention; and its well-established role in prostate citrate production has been completely ignored.
Thus, the contemporary understanding and views of the hormonal regulation of the prostate gland, and the implications in hormone- dependent malignancy are questionable and likely to be untenable. This new concept recognizes and incorporates the compelling evidence of co-existing testosterone and prolactin roles in the regulation of the prostate gland; along with our concept of the oncogenic development of prostate malignancy. This relationship should be incorporated for the prevention and treatment of hormone- dependent malignancy. Studies with appropriate animal models and clinical trials are now needed to establish the plausibility of this concept. The eradication of hormone-dependent untreatable terminal PCa is achievable.
Cabergoline Reduces Prolactin To Cure CRPC?
Published 2019 May 8: A Novel Patient Case Report to Show the Successful Termination of Untreatable Androgen-independent Prostate Cancer: 
A New Year, What Developments are you Hopeful About?
