Chemotherapy with Taxotere (docetaxel) might not be considered because the side effects are misunderstood. Individual experiences and side effects differ widely from one man to another. n Generally, chemotherapy is not as toxic as we think. Even if a patient feels that his chemotherapy is causing more grief than relief, it can be discontinued; there [...]
According to researchers at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, men with a mutation in their VAC14 gene are more susceptible to Docetaxil chemotherapy induced neuropathy and nerve pain. This debilitating side effect results from damage to the peripheral nerves and is felt by the man as weakness, numbness and pain most [...]
Prostate cancer treatment will change as we incorporate new studies into our clinical practice. One of the major emerging new trends is the earlier use of chemotherapy with androgen therapy (ADT) in men, including men who are still hormone responsive. This changing trend comes from the results from there pivotal randomized phase III trials: GETUG15, [...]
The PSA flare phenomenon when first starting chemotherapy with docetaxel has been noted by many clinicians. To evaluate this flare in men with castrate resistant prostate cancer treated with docetaxel, researchers retrospectively evaluated the charts of 56 men who received docetaxel-based chemotherapy in three different centers from August 1999 to August 2007. They found that [...]
Randomized trials have clearly demonstrated that when low dose Prednisone (P) is combined with docetaxel chemotherapy (D) to treat prostate cancer there is a survival benefit. What is the role of the prednisone and does it actually provide any additional benefit to the docetaxel treatment itself? To answer this question a retrospective study was performed [...]
Having chemotherapy causes all sorts of strains and difficulties. One almost universal side effect from chemotherapy is the difficulty many of us face in getting enough nutrition. Nutrition comes from eating food yet many of us just don't feel hungry so eating is difficult. We lose our appetite, food tastes terrible and we battle nausea. [...]
Side effects, or what are known as co-morbidities, often discourage men who have metastatic prostate cancer from continuing with chemotherapy (docetaxel). The question often asked is there a relationship between having side effects and the ultimate efficacy of the chemotherapy? In other words does having side effects have an effect on overall survival? To answer [...]
There is a paradigm shift happening around us in the clinical care of men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. We now know that survival is better when docetaxel chemotherapy is added to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), but there have been and still remains concerns about the toxicity of the docetaxel. Recent findings from a new study, [...]
One of the frustrations faced by men in the UK has been the Guideline that restrictes the use of chemotherapy (docetaxel) to only men who have already failed hormone therapy (ADT). This Guideline directly contradicts the current, cutting edge evidence that, in certain circumstances, earlier chemotherapy increases survival. The good news is that the NHS [...]
Clinical trials are used to both demonstrate that a drug or treatment has efficacy (extends life or improves the quality of life). They also are used as the vehicle to obtain approval from the governmental body responsible for monitoring and approving their use. How the trial is set up will directly dictate the eventual approved [...]
