Dr. Oh on the Safety Profile of Docetaxel in Prostate Cancer

William K. Oh, MD, chief, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, professor of Medicine and Urology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, discusses the safety profile of docetaxel when administered to patients with prostate cancer.

Tolerability is particularly important in this context, says Oh, as these patients include older groups of men. The toxicity profile of docetaxel thus far has been generally reasonable in this patient population, he explained, and he has been using it now for approximatley 2 years in practice. Some patients have difficulty with the treatment, experiencing adverse events like neutropenia, fatigue, and some fluid retention.

Oh says that he will often make adjustments for his older patients to decrease the toxicities they experience. He may start at a lower dose of docetaxel, or use growth factor if a patient is particularly at risk for neutropenia.

He also mentions that different studies have demonstrated different levels of toxicities associated with the drug, so further research is needed to tease out these discrepancies.