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Paclitaxel

As Adjuvant or Neoadjuvant Therapy in Early Breast Cancer

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Abstract

  • ▴ Paclitaxel is a antimicrotubule agent with established antitumour activity in a variety of cancers including breast cancer.

  • ▴ The efficacy of intravenous paclitaxel as adjuvant therapy for early breast cancer has been investigated in two large, randomised trials; it was administered sequentially to standard doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide (AC) combination therapy and compared with cycles of AC alone.

  • ▴ In both trials, the addition of sequentially administered paclitaxel to the AC regimen significantly improved disease-free survival at 5 years compared with AC alone. In one of the trials, women who received paclitaxel also had a significant improvement in overall 5-year survival time.

  • ▴ In randomised trials of neoadjuvant therapy for women with early breast cancer, paclitaxel or paclitaxel-containing regimens showed efficacy in terms of response/remission rates, local breast tumour recurrence and proportion of patients eligible for breast-conserving surgery.

  • ▴ The most frequently reported grade 3–4 adverse events with paclitaxel administered sequentially to AC were haematological events (neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anaemia) and nausea/vomiting.

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Notes

  1. The use of trade names is for product identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.

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  1. Adis International Limited, 41 Centorian Drive, Private Bag 65901, Mairangi Bay, Auckland, 1311, New Zealand

    Dene Simpson & Greg L. Plosker

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  1. Dene Simpson
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  2. Greg L. Plosker
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Correspondence to Dene Simpson.

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Simpson, D., Plosker, G.L. Paclitaxel. Drugs 64, 1839–1847 (2004). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200464160-00008

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200464160-00008

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