Phase II study of etoposide for carcinoma of the prostate.

The treatment of prostate carcinoma with the epipodophyllotoxin derivative etoposide was studied in a multi-institutional phase II trial. An iv dose schedule of 130 mg/m2 daily for 3 days every 3 weeks was utilized. A total of 36 patients were evaluable; the observed total response was 3%. Moderate toxicity (predominantly myelosuppression) was seen utilizing this treatment schedule. It is concluded that etoposide possesses little single-agent therapeutic activity for prostate carcinoma.