Androgen-independent Prostate Cancer: The Evolving Role of Chemotherapy

Androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC) is currently an incurable disease. Recent trials, however, suggest that AIPC can be responsive to novel chemotherapeutic agents. New approaches, including combination chemotherapy and biological therapy, are providing promise for longer survival and improved quality of life. The use of chemotherapy in AIPC has undergone a revolution in the past decade. Once labeled "chemotherapy resistant," new agents have shown great promise in both palliative and response endpoints. While the new agents have been tested extensively in phase II trials, only a few phase III trials have been conducted using chemotherapy in AIPC in the past decade. Despite a dearth of phase III data, chemotherapy has been gaining momentum in a multitude of phase II trials, employing both single-agent and combination regimens. The microtubule inhibitors have been the targeted group of drugs, based on in vitro data. Sometimes, hormone therapies are also used along with chemotherapy. This is known as combination therapy. Although the studies are preliminary, combination therapy deserves further exploration.