20 years of taxane therapy in prostate cancer — the past, present and future

2024 marked the twentieth anniversary of FDA approval for taxane therapy, namely docetaxel, in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Approval of this treatment modality signified a breakthrough in the field, as it demonstrated for the first time that a non-antiandrogen targeting agent could significantly improve survival of patients with prostate cancer. New evidence has further solidified the role of taxanes, demonstrating that it improves survival when used in combination with androgen-targeting therapy in early-stage metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Consequently, taxane therapy is currently considered a gold standard and mainstay in the treatment of prostate cancer. In this Review, we present an up-to-date analysis of the pivotal role of taxanes in the treatment of prostate cancer, discuss reasons why taxanes are effective and discuss how the mechanisms that confer resistance to taxanes in prostate cancer might be exploited to develop more effective therapeutic strategies.