Effects of Docetaxel plus Degarelix on Quality of Life and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Patients with Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Objective. To investigate the effects of docetaxel plus degarelix on quality of life and vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with prostate cancer. Methods. Between 2018 and 2020, 38 patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treated in our institution were assessed for eligibility and recruited. They were assigned at a ratio of 1 : 1 to receive either docetaxel plus degarelix (observation group) or degarelix (control group). Outcome measures included treatment efficacy, inflammatory factors level, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level, and quality of life of patients. Results. Docetaxel plus degarelix was associated with a significantly higher treatment efficacy (94.74%, including 9 (47.37%) cases of complete response (CR), 6 (31.58%) cases of partial response (PR), 4 (21.05%) cases of stable disease (SD), and 1 (5.36%) case of progressive disease (PD)) versus degarelix alone (63.16%, including 4 (21.05%) cases of CR, 5 (26.32%) cases of PR, 3 (15.79%) cases of SD, and 7 (36.84%) cases of PD) ( $P<0.05$ ). Before treatment, the two groups showed comparable levels of C-reaction protein (CRP), interleukin- (IL-) 6, and IL-10 ( $P>0.05$ ). Docetaxel plus degarelix resulted in significantly reduced levels of CRP and IL-6 and a significantly higher IL-10 level ( $28.84\pm 5.42$ , $25.31\pm 5.74$ , and $53.32\pm 11.02$ ) versus degarelix alone ( $35.17\pm 6.31$ , $31.54\pm 8.17$ , and $42.76\pm 11.25$ ) ( $P<0.05$ ). There were no significant differences in the urinary function, intestinal function, and hormone function scores between the two groups before treatment ( $P>0.05$ ). The patients receiving docetaxel plus degarelix had higher urinary function, intestinal function, and hormone function scores ( $38.87\pm 4.46$ , $86.51\pm 8.14$ , and $76.65\pm 7.15$ ) versus monotherapy of degarelix ( $29.84\pm 3.58$ , $78.51\pm 7.31$ , and $66.78\pm 6.56$ ) ( $P<0.05$ ). The two groups had similar pretreatment VEGF levels ( $P>0.05$ ). Docetaxel plus degarelix resulted in significantly lower VEGF levels ( $119.17\pm 21.38$ ) versus degarelix ( $124.36\pm 23.14$ ) at 6 months after treatment ( $P<0.05$ ). Conclusion. Docetaxel plus degarelix can enhance the therapeutic efficacy of patients with prostate cancer, mitigate inflammatory response, inhibit the VEGF expression of cancer cells, and improve the patients’ quality of life. Further clinical trials are, however, required prior to general use in clinical practice.