Investigating the Effects of AZD2014 Therapy Given Prior to Radical Prostatectomy in Men With High Risk Prostate Cancer

Patients with localised prostate cancer can be treated by radical prostatectomy (prostate gland removal surgery) or radiotherapy. Around 15% of men with prostate cancer are diagnosed with high risk disease meaning they are more likely to suffer treatment failure, disease progression and mortality. To date little progress has been made towards identifying effective treatment strategies that might delay or prevent disease recurrence in this patient population. Better identification of patients at high risk of relapse and improvements in therapy are therefore research priorities. A protein named Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) is known to play an important role in the development of prostate cancer. mTOR forms two protein complexes (mTORC1 and mTORC2) and sends signals helping cancer cells to grow while controlling their energy use. Blocking the function of mTOR, with an inhibitor such as AZD2014, might shut down the supply of energy supply to tumour cells leading to reduced cell growth and potentially slowing the progression of the disease. The purpose of this study is to investigate the molecular pharmacology of AZD2014 treatment given to patients with prostate cancer prior to radical prostatectomy. The feasibility, safety and tolerability of a short course of AZD2014 will also be assessed.