For prostate cancer
chemotherapy is sometimes used

Unlike other types of cancer, chemotherapy is generally not used as a first attempt to try to cure prostate cancer, especially when it is early.

There are some times, however, when chemotherapy is used, such as when prostate cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland, and hormone therapies have failed to control it. With prostate cancer chemotherapy may also be used to treat pain caused by cancer that has spread to the bone.

Chemotherapy involves the use of powerful and toxic drugs that kill both cancer cells and normal cells throughout the body. The reason for this is that these drugs target cells that divide quickly—like cancer cells. But there are also normal cells in the body that divide quickly.

There are several different kinds of chemotherapy drugs that are currently being used for prostate cancer. Some are taken orally (pills), while others are administered into the vein (called intravenously) or are injected into a muscle (called intramuscular).

It is not uncommon for more than one drug to be used together.

Researchers are now conducting studies to determine if giving a man chemotherapy after radical prostatectomy will provide any benefit. Other studies are looking at whether using chemotherapy with other prostate cancer treatments will provide additional benefit.

Two fairly large studies have shown that docetaxel helped extend survival in men with advanced prostate cancer. In the first study of 770 men with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer, the use of prostate cancer chemotherapy drugs docetaxel and estramustine together improved median survival in men by nearly two months, compared to men who received prednisone and the chemotherapy drug mitoxantrone.

In a second study of 1006 men with metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer, those men who received docetaxel plus prednisone every three weeks had superior survival compared to men who received mitoxantrone plus prednisone (18.9 months vs 16.5 months).

Potential side effects

The side effects depend upon the drugs that are being used. And each man may react differently to chemotherapy. If your loved one will undergo chemotherapy, ask his doctor about the potential side effects of the drugs that will be used.

Always discuss everything you read on this web site with a qualified medical professional.

Updated 5/09



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Tannock IF, De Wit R et al. Docetaxel plus prednisone or mitoxantrone plus prednisone for advanced prostate cancer. NEJM. 2004;351(15):1502-1512.