[Reactivation of prostatic cancer and chemotherapy in reactivated prostatic cancer]

From January, 1960 to March, 1984, we studied 65 cases of prostatic cancer resistant to endocrine therapy. Treatment with ifosfamide or combination chemotherapy with vincristine, ifosfamide and peplomycin was performed in some of the 65 cases above mentioned. More cases were systemic reactivation than local reactivation. Poorly differentiated cancer accounted for the majority of the reactivated cancer. Concerning adjacent effects, treatment with ifosfamide was superior to combination chemotherapy. There was no difference between the distant effects of both chemotherapies. The patients with no effects showed predominance of pathologically low differentiated cell type. The 6-month survival rate of patients with chemotherapy was significantly higher than that of patients with other therapies. Toxicities of chemotherapies were leucopenia, digestive disturbances and falling out of hair. Hematuria and pulmonary fibrosis occurred in some cases.