Weekly doxorubicin in endocrine-refractory carcinoma of the prostate

Twenty-five patients with endocrine-refractory prostatic carcinoma were treated with doxorubicin, 20 mg/m2 given weekly. All patients had prior hormonal therapy (68% had two or more prior hormonal maneuvers), and 21 (84%) had prior therapeutic or palliative irradiation. Median Karnofsky performance status at the time of entry was 70. Hemoglobin was less than 12.0 g/dL in 15 patients. Bidimensional tumors were present in 12 patients in 19 disease sites; four of the 12 patients (33%) responded in eight of the 19 sites (42%); and three of eight patients had a 75% decrease in prostatic nodule size. Ten of 20 evaluable patients had an improvement of 20% or greater in Karnofsky performance status and 67% (14 of 21) had marked improvement in pain. A greater than 50% reduction or normalization of acid phosphatase occurred in 19% and of alkaline phosphatase in 53%. The overall response rate by National Prostatic Cancer Project criteria was 84%. Gastrointestinal toxicity and alopecia were minimal and myelosuppression was not life threatening in any patient.