Second-Line Chemotherapy for Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer: Has the Time Come?

Prostate-specific antigen testing has not only led to an earlier diagnosis of prostate cancer, but also to an earlier identification of hormonerefractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Many patients identified early with HRPC may receive first-line taxane-based chemotherapy. Patients who progress after first-line chemotherapy are still quite healthy and desire further therapy. No proven treatment options exist for the second-line treatment of HRPC. Finding new agents that are active in the secondline setting and identifying relevant outcome variables and predictive pretreatment variables are crucial in improving survival and quality of life for this patient population.