Prostatic small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNC) is a rare but aggressive form of prostate cancer that is negative for androgen receptor (AR) and not responsive to hormonal therapy.
Therefore, we have identified potential cells of origin and a molecular target for prostatic SCNC that are very different from those of conventional adenocarcinoma, which explains SCNC's distinct biology and the clinical observation that it does not respond to hormonal therapy targeting androgen receptor signaling, which produces short-term therapeutic effects in nearly all patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma.