Paclitaxel

definition of it | Aug 18, 2011 |

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What is Paclitaxel? It is a chemotherapy drug that your doctor might prescribe to treat early and advanced stages of breast cancer.

Paclitaxel is sometimes given in combination with another anti-cancer drug, but also is approved by the FDA for treatment of cancer by itself. Paclitaxel works by disrupting the cell division and reproduction process, which is good when its target is a cancer cell. Paclitaxel has been on the market since the early 2000's in the United States and the United Kingdom, and a regular four-cycle treatment with the drug costs more than $6,000.

As of mid 2011, studies are still being conducted to determine whether weekly treatment with Paclitaxel is more likely to shrink a breast cancer than less frequent doses. In other words, is more better? If you are being treated for early or advanced stage breast cancer, you might be asked to participate in such a study. Usually you will not be told what cocktail of drugs you will receive intravenously each week, but it will include some varying amount of Paclitaxel.

Before you agree to participate in the study, you might be wondering if there are any side effects.

paclitaxel

Paclitaxel is administered with a solvent, and that can cause side effects. Sometimes these include allergic reactions or a rash, lowered white blood cell count, diarrhea, nausea, canker sores, and even minor bleeding. Because the number of blood platelets also gets reduced, you need to be careful about bleeding because it will not stop as fast as usual.

More serious side effects, which are rare, include stomach ulcers or even a heart attack.

Paclitaxel is an example of there actually being beneficial drugs in the wild. Not in the rain forest, but in the state of Washington. The Paclitaxel discovery began in 1962 when a sample of bark was taken from a Pacific yew tree and was found to have cytotoxic (anti-cancer) properties in the lab! Unfortunately for the trees, it takes more than two tons of bark to yield about ten grams of the good stuff (known as taxus).

Not all cancers respond to Paclitaxel, unfortunately. But for some patients, Paclitaxel can be extremely beneficial.

Finally, there are other uses for the Paclitaxel compound, like in your heart. Sometimes a stent that otherwise would slowly close up can be kept clear by coating it with Paclitaxel.