Treatment options for hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Hormone-refractory prostate cancer is a disease that includes a variety of patients and represents a treatment dilemma for the practicing physician. Because of the diversity of this group, management strategies must be targeted to the clinical situations of the individual patients and their wishes. This article outlines a logical progression of treatment choices that currently exist in this rapidly evolving field, and the landmark chemotherapy trials involving docetaxel (SWOG 9916 and TAX 327) are reviewed. Although significant progress has been made in understanding and treating hormone-refractory prostate cancer, current treatments do not yet provide a cure, and important clinical trials continue to recruit patients.