title: Docetaxel chemotherapy for metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer as first-line palliative chemotherapy and subsequent re-treatment: Birmingham experience.
abstract: Three-weekly docetaxel chemotherapy with prednisolone is now considered standard of care for patients with metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer (MHRPC). This study reports the efficacy and toxicity of first-line docetaxel chemotherapy followed subsequently by re-treatment on biochemical disease progression (BDP). Forty-two patients with MHRPC were treated with three-weekly docetaxel chemotherapy 75 mg/m(2) and 10 mg of prednisolone daily. Median age 73 years (range 58-87) and median initial PSA 182 ng/ml (range 19.9-1500). Of these patients, 10 were re-treated with the same regimen (second-line chemotherapy) on BDP. A further 3 out of these 10 patients received 2nd re-treatment (third-line chemotherapy) with docetaxel chemotherapy on BDP. Fifty-four percent of patients responded to first-line docetaxel chemotherapy and all re-treated patients responded again with a PSA reduction >50%. Median treatment-free interval prior to second and third-line chemotherapy was 24 and 26 weeks, respectively. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia occurred in 2.5, 7 and 12% of the total number of cycles in patients receiving first-, second- and third-line docetaxel chemotherapy, respectively. Median survival was 13 months (range 3-35) and one-year overall survival 52%. This is the first report of three-weekly docetaxel chemotherapy re-treatment in patients with MHRPC and demonstrates that patients who initially respond to docetaxel chemotherapy maintain their sensitivity to subsequent re-treatment without a significant rise in haematological toxicity.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, Metchley Drive, Birmingham, UK. drjawaher@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Jawaher
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.forename: Syed Anwer
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Anjali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarkar
authors.forename: Jacob S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tanguay
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bliss
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glaholm
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077143:Docetaxel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen