Most of us probably have not heard of Hedgehog signaling pathway and sounds like a laughable PCa pun or joke. Basically Hedgehog pathway of proteins is part of the growth-differentiation program in the ebrio starting at the earliest cell (stem cell) and it also fuctions in the adult (via adult stem cells) to repair injury. This is even part of basal cells and key to all types of cancers, so finding ways to utilitze this pathway is very important stuff.
Clinical implications of Hedgehog signaling pathway= Chin J Cancer, 2011 January; 30 (1): 13-26
Itraconazole, a Commonly Used Antifugal that Inhibits Hedgehog Pathway Activity and Cancer Growth= Cancer Cell 17, 388-399, April 13, 2010 (little different than Ketoconazole, but similarities to it)
Corticoids- Glucocorticoid compounds Modify Smoothened Localization and Hedgehog Pathway Activity- Chemistry & Biology 19 (8): 972-982
The Phase 2 Study- Repurposing Itraconazole as a Treatment for Advanced Prostate Cancer: A Noncomparitive Randomized Phase II Trial in Men crap Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: The Oncologist 2013; 18:000 (Itraconazole can provide a partial response in prostate cancer_
The Combination of Hedgehog and EGFR- Hedgehog-EGFR cooperation response genes determine the oncolgenic phenotype of basal cell carcinoma and tumour-initiating pancreatic cancer cells= 2012 EMBO Molecualr Medicine 4, 218-233 (EGFR is a major cell receptor for hormones (ligands) to make cells divide. It appears to work in combination with hedgehog to activate a specific set of genes required for cancer growth of basal cell ca and pancreas ca and presumably many other cancer eg. prostate cancer)
*just sharing this info from our local support group meeting, it is alway complex stuff.....our leader is a Hematologist and found this information, one point he made is that this being studied much more now, Itraconazole seems to be useful on this pathway but other drugs can even have a negative effect (nothing simplistic on this), he pointed out there is no studies on using a combination of drug(s) with that drug which could yield even greater results. We are likely to hear more about the Hedgehog pathway at some juncture, so when you hear it, don't laugh at the name, it has already been coined as such.