A Randomized Phase III Study of Neo-Adjuvant Docetaxel and Androgen Deprivation Prior to Radical Prostatectomy Versus Immediate Radical Prostatectomy in Patients With High-Risk, Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer
PURPOSE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Androgens can cause the growth of prostate cancer cells. Antihormone therapy, such as goserelin and leuprolide, may stop the adrenal glands from making androgens. Giving docetaxel and leuprolide or goserelin before surgery may make the tumor smaller and reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed. It is not yet known whether giving docetaxel and leuprolide or goserelin before surgery is more effective than surgery alone in treating patients with prostate cancer.
DESCRIPTION: This randomized trial tests whether the addition of chemohormonal therapy improves PSA-progression free survival in patients with high risk, clinically-localized prostate cancer. The neoadjuvant approach is taken since there appears to be a higher acceptance rate in the prostate population for this type of therapy and several phase II trials have demonstrated its safety. Multiple chemotherapeutic therapies have shown efficacy in advanced prostate cancer and docetaxel has become the community standard. Many high risk patients are initiated on LHRH agonists at or near the time of diagnosis of their prostate cancer. In order to allow the inclusion of these patients in the protocol, enhanced enrollment and maintain compliance with therapy, up to 3 months of androgen deprivation therapy prior to enrollment will be permitted. This study will therefore be able to test the hypothesis that targeting both androgen-sensitive and chemotherapy- sensitive prostate cancer cells will improve outcomes in these high-risk patients.