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Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer

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Abstract

This article addresses the current status of therapeutic options in the management of hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Following the publication of two landmark randomised trials, docetaxel chemotherapy is now the standard of care for men with metastatic HRPC. However, the benefit of this treatment is limited. Trials are now focusing on improving the efficacy of docetaxel by combining it with novel biological agents. Several new docetaxel-based combinations are under evaluation and promising results have been found for the combination of docetaxel with angiogenesis inhibitors. Early phase III trial data for atrasentan appear interesting. New cytotoxic agents such as satraplatin and ixabepilone are being investigated in several ongoing studies in order to define their role as second-line treatments of HRPC. Vaccine therapy offers an active immunological approach for combating malignancy in a targeted manner.

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No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this article. The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Molecular Oncology, Federico II University, Naples, Italy

    Giuseppe Di Lorenzo & Sabino De Placido

  2. Urologic Clinic, Second University, Naples, Italy

    Riccardo Autorino

  3. Molecular Pharmacology Section, Medical Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    William D. Figg

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  1. Giuseppe Di Lorenzo
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  2. Riccardo Autorino
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  4. Sabino De Placido
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Correspondence to Giuseppe Di Lorenzo.

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Di Lorenzo, G., Autorino, R., Figg, W.D. et al. Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer. Drugs 67, 1109–1124 (2007). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200767080-00002

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