Castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer: current status and treatment possibilities

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer in the male population in Western countries, second to skin cancer. Hormonal therapy allows long-lasting and effective control of cancer-related symptoms in advanced stages; however, in almost all patients with metastatic PCa the disease will progress when it becomes castration-resistant (CRPC). Chemotherapy with docetaxel was a turning point in CRPC, as, for the first time, it resulted in an increased survival time in comparison with mitoxantrone and prednisone. Combination therapy with docetaxel and prednisone is the first-line treatment of choice. Once the cancer has progressed, there is no clear alternative, although some new agents have shown promise in the treatment of this type of cancer. This review will provide an overview of the current status of CRPC, including clinical status, prognosis, firstline treatment and new second-line treatment options.