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Men with advanced, incurable prostate cancer can survive an average of three months longer and face fewer symptoms when they receive Taxotere® (docetaxel) plus prednisone, according to a study reported in the October 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers tracked more than 1,000 patients with advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer who either received the standard chemotherapy (mitoxantrone) or Taxotere every three weeks or once a week. All three groups received low daily doses of prednisone.
Researchers looked at survival, pain relief, improved quality of life and the amount of PSA in the patients' blood, which indicates the amount of cancer present in the body.
Men who received Taxotere every three weeks did better in all of these measures than those who received mitoxantrone. Taxotere improved survival by an average of three months. There was no significant difference in survival between those patients receiving Taxotere weekly and those receiving mitoxantrone.
"The new treatment of docetaxel results in many patients feeling better and living a few months longer," said study author Dr. Ian Tannock, medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and a professor with the University of Toronto. "As a result, we are recommending Taxotere every three weeks with daily prednisone as the new standard of treatment for many patients with advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer."
Source: Medical Week staff, week of October 9, 2004
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