Cabazitaxel: a guide to its use in hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer

The taxane derivative cabazitaxel (Jevtana(®)) is approved in the USA and the EU for use in combination with prednisone for the treatment of patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen. In the pivotal TROPIC trial, overall survival was significantly prolonged with cabazitaxel plus prednisone versus mitoxantrone plus prednisone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who had progressed during or after docetaxel therapy. In addition, progression-free survival, the times to tumour progression and prostate specific antigen (PSA) progression, and tumour and PSA response rates were improved with cabazitaxel plus prednisone. Intravenous cabazitaxel had an acceptable tolerability profile, with haematological adverse events occurring most commonly, and diarrhoea being the most common nonhaematological adverse event.