The role of glycans in the development and progression of prostate cancer

Glycosylation is a key cellular mechanism regulating many important biological processes in cancer; alterations in glycosylation patterns are common features of cancer cellsThe prostate is a secretory gland with an important role in male fertility, and as such, is an abundant secretor of glycoproteins of all typesA variety of alterations in glycoproteins have been observed in prostate cancer cells including: increased sialylation and fucosylation; increased O-β-N-acetylglucosylation; the emergence of cryptic and high-mannose N-glycans and proteoglycan alterationsGlycosylation-specific antibodies and glycosylation gene signatures have proven to be powerful tools in classifying prostate cancer tumour aggressivenessGlycans have potential clinical applications in patients with prostate cancer as both predictive and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets