Long term outcomes of docetaxel-based chemotherapy with dexamethasone for advanced prostate cancer

This article investigated the safety and effectiveness of docetaxel (Taxotere)-based chemotherapy in combination with dexamethasone (Decadron) for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The authors concluded that this treatment combination is a safe and effective treatment option for advanced prostate cancer.  

CRPC is prostate cancer that keeps growing even when the amount of testosterone (male sex hormone that fuels the growth of prostate cancer) in the body is reduced to very low levels. It has been shown that docetaxel (a chemotherapy drug which inhibits cell division of the cancer cells) with dexamethasone (a steroid which reduces inflammation) has been effective in managing CRPC.

The long-term safety and effectiveness of docetaxel-based chemotherapy combined with dexamethasone in patients with CRPC are still unknown.

The study involved 74 patients with CRPC. Patients received 75 mg/m2 of docetaxel every 21 days and 0.5 mg of dexamethasone orally twice a day for 28 months. Patients were divided into groups that had metastases (M1; cancer spread from its original location to another part of the body) and those that did not have metastases (M0). 

The overall survival was 42.5 months on average. The average time without cancer growing or spreading (progression-free survival; PFS) was 13.2 months for all patients. The PFS in M1 patients was 12.3 months and in M0 patients was 15.7 months.

Patients in the M1 group were 61% less likely to have progressed to CRPC over 20 months. 48.6% of patients experienced side effects. 24.3 % had serious side effects.

The authors concluded that docetaxel-based chemotherapy in combination with dexamethasone is a safe and effective treatment option for advanced prostate cancer.

This study included a small number of participants. Larger studies are needed for more solid evidence.