Table 1. Main patient characteristics at baseline.
| D/EPI | D/P | |
|---|---|---|
| Enrolled patients | 37 | 35 |
| Median age (range), years | 72 (51–82) | 70 (56–83) |
| Initial Gleason score | ||
| ⩽7 | 16 | 17 |
| 8–10 | 21 | 18 |
| ECOG performance status | ||
| 0 | 8 | 11 |
| 1–2 | 29 | 24 |
| Sites of metastases | ||
| Bone | 25 | 22 |
| Bone + prostate cancer | 5 | 6 |
| Bone + lymph nodes | 2 | 1 |
| Lymph nodes + prostate cancer | 3 | 5 |
| Lymph nodes + liver | 1 | 0 |
| Prostate + lung | 1 | 1 |
| Median baseline serum PSA (range), ng ml−1 | 82 (14–182) | 66 (11–253) |
| Previous treatments | ||
| Prostatectomy | 26 | 24 |
| Radiotherapy | 6 | 8 |
| Hormone therapies | ||
| 1 | 37 | 35 |
| ⩾2 | 22 | 18 |
| Duration of response to hormonal treatment (months) | ||
| Median (range) | 23 (6–52) | 25 (7–68) |
| Baseline pain intensity | ||
| 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 1 | 10 | 8 |
| 2 | 14 | 16 |
| 3 | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Median LDH, U l−1 (range) | 278 (106–1,147) | 233 (124–936) |
| Alkaline phosphatase, U l−1 (range) | 131 (34–751) | 147 (41–582) |
| Median haemoglobin, g dl−1 (range) | 11.8 (8.5–14.2) | 10.9 (8.1–13.7) |
| Overall quality of life (EORTC) a | ||
| Mean score±s.d. (range) | 46 ± 9.57 (28–65) | 42 ± 9.24 (33–59) |
Abbreviations: D=docetaxel; ECOG=Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; EORTC=European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer; EPI=epirubicin; LDH=lactate dehydrogenase; P=prednisone; PSA=prostatic specific antigen.
a
0=very poor; 100=excellent.