Docetaxel treatment improves patient survival in metastatic prostate cancer

The authors determined the benefit of docetaxel (Taxotere) and prednisone (Deltasone) in treating metastatic (cancer that spreads) hormone-resistant prostate cancer. 

Hormone therapy is a common treatment for prostate cancer. It targets the male sex hormones active in prostate cancer, such as testosterone. In some cases patients can become resistant to hormone therapy. This means patients will no longer respond to hormone therapy and will require a different treatment. Docetaxel is a chemotherapy treatment that has been approved for the treatment of advanced hormone-resistant prostate cancer. It is often used in combination with prednisone to treat metastatic prostate cancer.  

The aim of this article was to determine the effect of docetaxel and prednisone in treating metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer.

228 patients were used in this analysis. Patients in group 1 received 10 cycles of docetaxel through an injection in vein every three weeks and 10 mg of prednisone orally given daily. Patients in group 2 received 10 cycles of mitoxantrone (Novantrone) through an injection in vein every three weeks and 10 mg of prednisone orally given daily.

The median (mid-point) overall survival (patients who were still alive following treatment) was 21.88 months in group 1 and 13.67 months in group 2. Event-free survival (patients who did not experience pain, prostate specific antigen [PSA – protein elevated in the blood in prostate cancer] increase, tumor and disease) were significantly improved in group 1 compared to group 2. 35.11% of patients in group 1 achieved greater than 50% decline in PSA level. This was compared to 19.39% of patients in group 2. 61.11% in group 1 had pain response. This was compared to 23.08% in group 2. Pain response was defined as reduction of at least 50% use of painkillers. The safety and tolerability of treatments were comparable between group 1 and group 2. 

The authors concluded that docetaxel combined with prednisone significantly prolonged overall survival in patients with metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer and had a better response rate for PSA and pain.