Adding Cyclophosphamide to Standard Prostate Cancer Therapy Provides No Benefit

Adding cyclophosphamide to docetaxel and prednisone for treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) does not seem to provide any additional benefit, according to a German study published in Chemotherapy.

In a randomized, multicenter phase II trial, researchers led by Markus Porsch, MD, looked at 33 patients who received six 3-week treatment cycles of either the standard therapy of docetaxel and prednisone, or standard therapy with cyclophosphamide.

The researchers found no significant differences between the two groups in terms of blood pressure, weight, pain score, laboratory variables and quality of life.

There was an adequate decline in PSA levels in both groups, with no difference in decline in either group.

“An additional effect of cyclophophamide was not detected,” the authors concluded. “However, the small number of patients and short observation period restrict the generalisability of the results.”

Reference

1. Porsch, M., et al. “A Randomised Phase II Trial Comparing Docetaxel Plus Prednisone with Docetaxel Plus Prednisone Plus Low-Dose Cyclophosphamide in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.” Chemotherapy. DOI:10.1159/000369781. February 26, 2015.