Tag : Docetaxel

Alphen aan den Rijn (Netherlands): Combining chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer provides longer control of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels than hormonal therapy alone, according to a study. The findings of the study were published in the April issue of The Journal of Urology, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). Wolters Kluwer publishes the journal as part of its Lippincott portfolio. "Our clinical trial is the first to show a longer time to biochemical recurrence with chemotherapy plus standard hormone therapy for patients with locally advanced, high-risk prostate cancer," comments Jiahua Pan of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, People's Republic of China. "The findings add new evidence to support the use of combined chemohormonal therapy for a group of patients at high risk of recurrent, progressive prostate cancer." The randomized controlled trial included 141 men with locally advanced prostate cancer, in which cancer has spread outside the prostate to nearby tissues. All patients had clinical characteristics placing them at elevated risk of distant tumor spread (metastasis) after initial treatment. In a 2:1 ratio, patients were randomly assigned to treatment with the chemotherapy agent docetaxel plus hormonal (androgen deprivation) therapy or hormonal therapy alone. In both groups, these "neoadjuvant" treatments were followed by surgery (radical prostatectomy and extended lymph node dissection). The study focused on biochemical progression-free survival - control of serum PSA levels - as a sign of tumor control. Rising PSA levels are an early sign of recurrent or progressive prostate cancer. The study also looked at pathologic responses: whether the ...