Anthony Victor D’Amico, MD, PhD

Johnathan Zeng, MD

Men with high-risk prostate cancer are often treated with radiation and hormone therapy, but it is not always clear who benefits from adding docetaxel, a chemotherapy medication. Identifying patients most likely to respond to this additional treatment could help improve outcomes while avoiding unnecessary side effects. 

Researchers examined whether testosterone levels at diagnosis could predict which patients benefit from adding docetaxel chemotherapy to standard radiation and hormone therapy. They analyzed data from two randomized clinical trials and compared survival outcomes in patients with low versus normal testosterone. 

The research team, led by Johnathan Zeng, MD, and senior author Anthony V. D’Amico, MD, PhD, of the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, found that patients with normal testosterone lived longer when docetaxel was added, while those with low testosterone did not show the same benefit. This pattern was consistent across two clinical trial cohorts. 

These findings suggest that a routine blood test for testosterone may help guide decisions about adding chemotherapy to the course of treatment in high-risk prostate cancer patients.  

Published in Cancer on June 1, 2026 | Read the paper: “Testosterone and docetaxel treatment effect on mortality risk in nonmetastatic high-risk prostate cancer: A predictive biomarker analysis” 

Summary reviewed by: Johnathan Zeng, MD, lead author; Anthony V. D’Amico, MD, PhD, senior author