Emerging molecular pathways and targets in neuroendocrine prostate cancer

Small cell prostate cancer remains a poorly understood, aggressive form of prostate cancer that comprises less than 2% of prostate cancer diagnoses (1-6). Small cell prostate cancer remains a histological diagnosis and develops either de novo in patients with no prior history of prostate adenocarcinoma or, more commonly, in the setting of a patient with castrate resistant prostate cancer (Figure 1). The molecular underpinnings that determine which patients develop small cell prostate cancer in the de novo or castrate-resistant setting are not well defined although significant research is ongoing