docetaxel + placebo (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Docetaxel + placebo refers to the control arm of a Phase II clinical trial (NCT00037583) conducted by the University of Wisconsin, Madison, evaluating the treatment of metastatic androgen-independent (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer. Docetaxel is a taxane-based small molecule chemotherapy agent that promotes the assembly of tubulin into stable microtubules and inhibits their disassembly, which leads to a significant decrease in free tubulin and results in the inhibition of mitotic cell division. In this specific study, docetaxel was administered intravenously at a dose of 35 mg/m² weekly for three weeks of a four-week cycle, paired with a daily oral placebo. The trial aimed to determine if the addition of doxercalciferol to this docetaxel regimen improved clinical outcomes, though the study ultimately found no significant difference in PSA response or survival between the docetaxel plus doxercalciferol arm and the docetaxel plus placebo arm.

Brand names

Taxotere

Other names

docetaxel plus placebo