When Is Chemotherapy Used For Prostate Cancer?
- The main goal of chemotherapy is to kill cancer cells and/or halt the growth process, allowing for disease control and in some cases, even cure.
- For patients with prostate cancer, it may be used in combination with other treatments, including surgery and hormone therapy, to increase their benefit and promote better outcomes.
- Chemotherapy is most frequently added to the treatment plan for cases of advanced prostate cancer.
- The most common chemotherapy agent for prostate cancer is docetaxel, which is administered intravenously in cycles and is often used in combination with a steroid medication.
“There’s two real, major standard chemotherapies for prostate cancer — one is called docetaxel and another one, a sister drug, is called cabazitaxel,” Dr. William Kevin Kelly, chair of the Department of Medical Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia, tells SurvivorNet.
Read MoreChemotherapy Agents For Prostate Cancer
The most common agent for prostate cancer is docetaxel. As Dr. Kelly mentioned, this medication is administered intravenously and is often used in combination with a steroid medication. In some cases or when patients have a small response to docetaxel, cabazitaxel may be used as well. Chemotherapy is not given every day; instead, it is given in cycles.A cycle of chemotherapy (which is typically 21 days) refers to the time it takes to give the treatment and then allow the individual to partially or fully recover from the side effects of the medicines. This is the reason why these agents are typically administered every three weeks (21 days).
Side Effects Of Chemotherapy
Unintended effects of chemotherapy, also known as side effects, occur because chemotherapy agents target rapidly dividing cells, not only the cancerous ones.
In our healthy system, we have a number of cell lines that are known to have rapid-dividing characteristics, such as the blood cells, the hair and skin cells, and cells of the gastrointestinal tract.
This explains the most frequent symptoms reported by patients, which include:
- Hair Loss
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Increased risk of infections (due to reduced white blood cells)
- Fatigue (due to reduced red blood cells)
Chemotherapy Benefits
While chemotherapy may have an impact on the patient’s overall health during the treatment, its administration outweighs its side effects, Dr. Kelly explains.
It is important to note that most patients experience improvements in symptoms, including pain and fatigue. Thus, it is a powerful tool to control and relieve symptoms associated with very advanced disease, improving the patient’s quality of life.
Another crucial aspect of chemotherapy for prostate cancer is that it can be used to improve the outcomes following prostate surgery when administered for a short time after the procedure
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- What are some symptoms I may experience, and what should I watch for?
- How will I know if the chemotherapy is making progress?
- Are there any clinical trials that I could be a good fit for?
- How would I manage the side effects?
- When should I contact my healthcare team?
Content independently created by SurvivorNet with support from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
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