Cabazitaxel in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: safety and quality of life data from the Australian early access program

Aim: Cabazitaxel is a next generation taxane that has been shown to improve overall survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) whose disease progressed during or after docetaxel-based therapy. A worldwide early access program (EAP) study was established to provide access to cabazitaxel ahead of commercial availability and to evaluate its safety and tolerability. The Australian EAP included patient-reported outcomes to evaluate the impact of cabazitaxel on quality of life (QoL). The final safety and QoL results from the Australian EAP for cabazitaxel are reported. Methods: Australian patients with mCRPC previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen received cabazitaxel (25 mg/m²) every 3 weeks plus prednisone/prednisolone (10 mg daily) until disease progression, death, unacceptable toxicity, physician's decision or patient's refusal of further treatment. QoL data was collected using the AQoL-8D questionnaire. Results: 104 patients from 18 Australian sites (median age at baseline, 70) enrolled in the EAP and completed at least one AQoL-8D questionnaire. Patients received a median of 6 cycles of cabazitaxel. 67 patients (64.4%) experienced grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs); the most frequent TEAEs were neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, diarrhoea, and vomiting. QoL scores remained stable with increasing treatment cycles. Conclusion: The results suggest that the safety profile cabazitaxel is manageable in the Australian clinical practice setting and that QoL is maintained with little or no detrimental effect of cabazitaxel in patients continuing on treatment without disease progression.