Grant: CIHR - ICR / Cancer Research Society Partnership - Research Grants

Approximately 4,000 Canadian men die each year from prostate cancer. There is no known way to prevent prostate cancer. In aggressive prostate cancer, the amount of an enzyme called glycogen synthase kinase-3B (GSK-3B) is higher. Lowering the GSK-3B enzyme level reduces tumour growth and prevents the cancer from spreading (metastasis) in laboratory studies. This level can be lowered by using drugs that are called GSK-3B inhibitors (GSK3Is). Some of these GSK3Is are successful in treating epilepsy and bipolar disorder while others are in experimental stages. We would like to study how successful the real-life use of these drugs is at lowering the risk of prostate cancer and/or dying from the disease by using historical data. First, we will look at whether patients had a higher or lower risk of prostate cancer when using GSK3Is and second, we will look at whether patients had a higher or lower risk of dying from the disease when using GSK3Is. If we find a protective effect from GSK3Is being used in treatment, we can design follow-up studies to determine which drugs work best and how to use them to improve patient care. If we find these drugs worsen prostate cancer, we could recommend the use of other drugs. In the event there is no effect, this would still be reassuring to those who take these drugs on a regular basis.