Chemotherapy for metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer

Incorporation of docetaxel into metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer treatment has added a new treatment option to a disease state that had previously not seen change for decades. Early attempts of a chemo-hormonal approach for castration-sensitive prostate cancer were not successful. With the demonstration of survival benefits using docetaxel in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, this encouraged continued research with docetaxel given earlier in the disease course. Three randomized phase III trials have defined the benefits of docetaxel in the metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer setting; however, there remain questions and controversies on the appropriate and optimal patient selection.