Treatment of Hormone Resistance with Docetaxel in Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patients: Results of a Clinical Experience at Omid Hospital, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Background: Metastatic prostate cancer is one of the most important cancers among men worldwide. Androgen ablation therapy can be used in treatment of these patients; however, most will progress to metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. In this regard, docetaxel has been approved to treat metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer in the United States. In this study, we aimed to investigate the results of this treatment modality in metastatic prostate cancer patients from Iran. Methods: We evaluated PSA response and bone pain relief in 18 metastatic prostate cancer patients who underwent treatment with docetaxel at a dose of 75 mg/m(2) intravenously on the first day of treatment. The treatment was repeated every three weeks (6 cycles) along with 10 mg of prednisolone. Results: Of 18 patients, 39 had >50 decline in PSA levels. There were 16 of the patients with a PSA decline of approximately 30 to 50 of the pre-treatment levels. In addition, 29 of the patients had progressive PSA levels during chemotherapy. Among them, 55 had significant pain relief. Conclusion: This research showed the effectiveness of docetaxel to decrease PSA levels in metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients from Iran. Docetaxel was also valuable in alleviation of pain in these patients. However, prospective studies should validate this approach.