Drugs 2005; 65 (16): 2295-2297 GUEST COMMENTARIES 0012-6667/05/0016-2295/$39.95/0 © 2005 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved. prednisone, which commenced during the actual Docetaxel in Hormone-Refractory chemotherapy. Metastatic Prostate Cancer In addition to these key findings, the studies A Viewpoint by Ronald de Wit provided other meaningful insights. Although Department of Medical Oncology; Division of TAX 327 was not powered to test between the every Genitourinary Oncology, Rotterdam Cancer 3 weeks and the once-weekly docetaxel regimens, Center and Erasmus University Medical Center, only the every 3 weeks regimen significantly im- Rotterdam, The Netherlands proved survival compared to the mitoxantrone regi- men. Moreover, docetaxel at the dose of 75 mg/m Prostate cancer is the most common cancer once every 3 weeks was very well tolerated in this among men and is the second leading cause of patient population and there was no indication that cancer death in males. For decades, chemotherapy in the once-weekly regimen had a better toxicity pro- patients who had become androgen independent file. Hence, there is no apparent role for the use of (hormone-refractory prostate cancer) was consid- once-weekly docetaxel in hormone-refractory pros- ered minimally effective. In the 1990s it was tate cancer. SWOG 9916 also found superior surviv- recognised that the use of mitoxantrone plus low- al with docetaxel, but the addition of estramustine dose prednisone improved pain in one-third of pa- increased gastrointestinal and cardiovascular toxici- tients with symptomatic bone metastases, but medi- ty considerably. an survival was not improved. Still, these results Although the...