Research progress on the role of heat shock protein 27 in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in adult men. Heat shock proteins (HSPs),as molecular chaperones widely involved in the pathogenesis,diagnosis,treatment and prognosis of various cancers,play crucial biological functions in prostate cancer and it can be considered as valuable biomarkers for cancer therapy, such as prostate-specific membrane antigen. As a member of the heat shock protein family, HSP27 is related to prostate cancer castration resistance,and its expression can promote tumor resistance,invasion and bone metastasis,making prostate cancer more invulnerable to treatments. Therefore,targeting HSP27 in prostate cancer can be perceived as one promising cancer treatment strategy. This article reviews the structure and function of HSP27,and its potential role on castration resistance and targeted therapy in order to provide a new theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of prostate cancer.