Chemotherapy of hormone-refractory carcinoma of prostate with 5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, and mitomycin C.

A modification of the DMF protocol was used to treat 14 patients with hormone-refractory adenocarcinoma of the prostate. A subjective response of pain relief occurred in 71 per cent (10/14) of the patients. The median duration of the response in these patients was 4.2 months, and their median survival was 248 days. No patient experienced either an objective complete or partial response based on the criteria of the NPCP. However, an objective stable response was produced in 36 per cent (5/14) of the patients, and their median survival was 330 days. Patients entering the study with a performance status of less than or equal to 2 exhibited a longer median survival than patients with a performance status greater than 2. This regimen of 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and mitomycin C is reasonably well tolerated and appears to warrant consideration as a palliative therapeutic alternative in hormone-resistant prostate cancer.