OBJECTIVE. To determine the effectiveness and toxicity of docetaxel for Chinese patients with castrate-resistant prostate cancer in a local Hong Kong hospital.

DESIGN. Case series.

SETTING. A tertiary cancer centre in Hong Kong.

PATIENTS. In all, 39 castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients were treated with 3-weekly docetaxel at 75 mg/m² and prednisolone 10 mg daily between January 2006 and December 2011 in Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Prostate-specific antigen control rate, pain control rate, progression-free survival, overall survival, and complication rates.

RESULTS. The prostate-specific antigen response rate was 36%, and 27 (69%) of the patients had improved pain control after chemotherapy. The median progression-free survival, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival was 7.8 (95% confidence interval, 4.9-10.8) months, 13.0 (95% confidence interval, 9.6-16.3) months, and 12.2 (95% confidence interval, 9.3-15.1) months, respectively. The grade 3 anaemia and thrombocytopenia rates were 5%, and the neutropenic fever rate was 8%.

CONCLUSIONS. hemotherapy with docetaxel at a dose of 75 mg/m² given once every 3 weeks together with daily prednisolone is well tolerated in Chinese and can offer good symptom palliation in suitable patients with castrate-resistant prostate cancer.

Key words: Androgen antagonists; Drug therapy; Prostate neoplasms; Survival

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