Generally the initial treatment for males with metastatic prostate cancer is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Despite high initial response rates, nearly all males eventually develop progressive disease following ADT; this is referred to as castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Today, docetaxel represents the first chemotherapeutic agent with an acceptable survival benefit for hormone-refractory prostate cancer. However, there is no standard of care for patients who progress during or after docetaxel treatment. Nowadays, targeting signaling pathways and key signaling molecules including chemotherapies, hormonal treatments, immunotherapies, vaccines, angiogenesis inhibitors, and bone targeting agents are currently undergoing clinical development in advanced prostate cancer using docetaxel as a first-line chemotherapy.
Keywords: Castration resistant prostate cancer, docetaxel, therapeutic targeted agents, androgen synthesis, androgen receptor