[New treatments for castration-resistant prostate cancer]

Abstract

Docetaxel chemotherapy is a standard treatment for fit men with symptomatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Unfortunately docetaxel resistant disease will systematically develop and second-line treatment may be appropriate. Until recently no standard treatment was approved in this setting and mitoxantrone was commonly used. Three new drugs have shown benefit in randomised phase 3 multicenter clinical trials published since 2010. Cabazitaxel, abiraterone and enzalutamide were shown to prolong overall survival of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer previously treated with chemotherapy. Although still modest these results were deemed clinically significant and led to the reimbursement of Jevtana (cabazitaxel) and Zytiga (abiraterone) in Belgium in 2012.