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Weekly low-dose docetaxel combined with estramustine and dexamethasone for Japanese patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

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Abstract

Background

A low-dose chemotherapy consisting of docetaxel, estramustine and dexamethasone was investigated for its beneficial effect and feasibility in Japanese patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

Methods

Seventy-two Japanese patients with metastatic CRPC were enrolled to receive docetaxel (25 mg/m2 on days 2 and 9), estramustine phosphate (280 mg orally twice daily from day 1 to day 3 and from day 8 to day 10) and dexamethasone (0.5 mg orally twice daily) every 21 days.

Results

The median age of the patients was 72 years and 64 patients (89 %) had ≥grade 1 anemia at entry. The median total number of courses administered was 8.5 (range 1–93). Forty-two patients (58 %) had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline of ≥50 %. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 6 and 23 months, respectively. Fifteen patients (21 %) improved and 53 patients (74 %) were stable in their performance status. Of the 40 patients with bone pain, 25 patients (63 %) showed pain reduction. Among 71 patients assessable for their hemoglobin levels, 21 patients (30 %) achieved an increase of at least 1.0 g/dl. Of the 5 patients who terminated treatment because of ≥grade 3 toxicity, 4 patients had pneumonitis and one patient had anemia. Only one patient developed ≥grade 3 neutropenia.

Conclusions

The low-dose combination of docetaxel, estramustine and dexamethasone is active and tolerable with beneficial effects on serum PSA levels, performance status, anemia and bone pain in Japanese patients with CRPC. This regimen is a reasonable option for elderly patients with bone disease at risk of hematologic toxicity.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Conflict of interest

All authors have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2, Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871, Japan

    Koji Hatano, Yasutomo Nakai, Takahiro Yoshida, Mototaka Sato, Atsunari Kawashima, Masatoshi Mukai, Akira Nagahara, Motohide Uemura, Daizo Oka, Hitoshi Takayama, Akira Tsujimura & Norio Nonomura

  2. Department of Urology, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, 1-3-3, Nakamichi Higashinari-ku, Osaka, 537-8511, Japan

    Kazuo Nishimura & Masashi Nakayama

  3. Department of Urology, Toyonaka Municipal Hospital, 4-14-1, Shibahara, Toyonaka, 560-8565, Japan

    Kiyonori Shimizu & Norio Meguro

  4. Department of Urology, Osaka General Medical Center, 3-1-56, Mandai-higashi, Sumiyoshiku, Osaka, 558-8558, Japan

    Tsuyoshi Tanigawa & Seiji Yamaguchi

Authors
  1. Koji Hatano
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  2. Kazuo Nishimura
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kazuo Nishimura.

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Hatano, K., Nishimura, K., Nakai, Y. et al. Weekly low-dose docetaxel combined with estramustine and dexamethasone for Japanese patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Int J Clin Oncol 18, 704–710 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-012-0429-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-012-0429-1

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