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Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel: A Review in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

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Abstract

Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (Abraxane®) [hereafter referred to as nab-paclitaxel] is a taxane developed to avoid some of the toxicities associated with solvent-bound (sb) paclitaxel. Nab-paclitaxel, in combination with carboplatin, is indicated for the first-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients who are not candidates for curative surgery and/or radiation therapy. This article summarizes pharmacological, efficacy and tolerability data relevant to the use of nab-paclitaxel in this indication. Compared with sb-paclitaxel plus carboplatin, nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin significantly improved the objective response rate (ORR), but did not prolong progression-free survival or overall survival (OS), in the overall population of patients with advanced NSCLC in a multinational phase III trial. The nab-paclitaxel regimen also provided benefit over the sb-paclitaxel regimen in certain patient subgroups, including patients with squamous cell histology (in terms of ORR) and patients who were elderly (in terms of OS). Nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin had a manageable tolerability profile with some benefits over sb-paclitaxel plus carboplatin, including lower rates of grade ≥3 neutropenia, peripheral neuropathy, arthralgia and myalgia, although was associated with more grade ≥3 anaemia and thrombocytopenia. Given its efficacy and tolerability, intravenous nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin is a valuable first-line treatment option for patients with advanced NSCLC.

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Acknowledgments

During the peer review process, the manufacturer of tolvaptan was also offered an opportunity to review this article. Changes resulting from comments received were made on the basis of scientific and editorial merit.

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    Hannah A. Blair & Emma D. Deeks

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  1. Hannah A. Blair
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Correspondence to Hannah A. Blair.

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The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.

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Hannah Blair and Emma Deeks are salaried employees of Adis/Springer, are responsible for the article content and declare no relevant conflicts of interest.

Additional information

The manuscript was reviewed by: M. M. Fukuoka, Izumi Municipal Hospital, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan; S. Harada, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; C. Rolfo, Department of Oncology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium; K. Yamada, Division of Respirology, Neurology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan.

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Blair, H.A., Deeks, E.D. Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel: A Review in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Drugs 75, 2017–2024 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-015-0484-9

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