title: Weekly doxorubicin in endocrine-refractory carcinoma of the prostate.
abstract: Twenty-five patients with endocrine-refractory prostatic carcinoma were treated with doxorubicin, 20 mg/m2 given weekly. All patients had prior hormonal therapy (68% had two or more prior hormonal maneuvers), and 21 (84%) had prior therapeutic or palliative irradiation. Median Karnofsky performance status at the time of entry was 70. Hemoglobin was less than 12.0 g/dL in 15 patients. Bidimensional tumors were present in 12 patients in 19 disease sites; four of the 12 patients (33%) responded in eight of the 19 sites (42%); and three of eight patients had a 75% decrease in prostatic nodule size. Ten of 20 evaluable patients had an improvement of 20% or greater in Karnofsky performance status and 67% (14 of 21) had marked improvement in pain. A greater than 50% reduction or normalization of acid phosphatase occurred in 19% and of alkaline phosphatase in 53%. The overall response rate by National Prostatic Cancer Project criteria was 84%. Gastrointestinal toxicity and alopecia were minimal and myelosuppression was not life threatening in any patient.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000187:drug effects; D004064:Digestive System / Q000187:drug effects; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D004317:Doxorubicin