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Taxol in advanced, hormone‐refractory carcinoma of the prostate. A phase II trial of the eastern cooperative oncology group
Author(s) -
Roth Bruce J.,
Loehrer Patrick J.,
Yeap Beow Yong,
Wilding George,
Kasimis Basil,
McLeod David
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19931015)72:8<2457::aid-cncr2820720825>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - medicine , prostate cancer , refractory (planetary science) , leukopenia , toxicity , surgery , prostate , cancer , chemotherapy , carcinoma , prostate specific antigen , gastroenterology , oncology , urology , physics , astrobiology
Background . Recent clinical trials have documented activity for combinations of chemotherapeutic agents that target the microtubular apparatus in patients with hormone‐refractory prostate cancer. Taxol has a novel antimicrotubular mechanism, acting by stabilizing polymerized tubulin. Methods . Twenty‐three patients with hormone‐refractory prostate cancer and bidimensionally measurable disease were treated with Taxol by 24‐hour continuous infusion at 135–170 mg/M 2 every 21 days for a maximum of 6 cycles. Results . Eighty‐five courses of Taxol were administered to 23 patients. One patient (4.3%) experienced a partial response lasting 9 months, and four other patients with radiographically stable disease had minor reductions in the serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) of 16–24%. Eleven patients (47.8%) had stable disease, and progressive disease developed in 9 patients (39.1%) during therapy. Median survival was 9 months. Leukopenia was the dose‐limiting toxicity with 13% of patients having Grade 3 and 61% having Grade 4 toxicity, and granulocytopenic fever developed in 26%. Three patients experienced sudden cardiovascular events while participating in the study, including one patient with a nonfatal, non‐Q‐wave myocardial infarction that occurred during a taxol infusion, and two patients who had sudden deaths 9 days and 30 days after receiving their last taxol dose, respectively. Conclusions . In the subset of patients with hormonerefractory prostate cancer and bidimensionally measurable disease, Taxol at this dosage has only minor activity.