Paclitaxel chemotherapy is used to treat ovarian, lung, melanoma, bladder cancer, breast cancer as well as other types of solid tumor cancers. It is used as chemotherapy drug for prostate cancer. It has been used in treating Kaposi’s sarcoma. Paclitaxel is a plant alkaloid, a taxane and an antimicrotubule agent. The trade names of paclitaxel are taxol and onxal.

Administration of Paclitaxel

• Paclitaxel is given intravenously. There is no approved pill form of paclitaxel as of now. Paclitaxel is an irritant.
• In spite of careful administration, consult your doctor immediately if you notice pain, swelling or swelling at the IV site. If the medication escapes from the vein it can cause tissue damage.
• Paclitaxel can cause allergic reactions in some patients. Hence, these patients are recommended some anti allergic medications prior to the infusion to prevent this side effect.
• An irritant is a category of drugs that cause inflammation of the vein through which it is infused. If the drug escapes or leaks out of the vein, it damages and scars the tissue. Hence, it should be administered by a highly skilled oncology professional.
• The dosage and frequency of infusion of paclitaxel depends on various factors like the patient’s height, weight, other medical conditions, general health, the type and stage of the cancer. The schedule of this treatment would be decided by the doctor taking into consideration all these factors along with the tolerance levels of the patient and response to the previous treatment.

Working of Paclitaxel Chemotherapy

Paclitaxel is categorised as a plant alkaloid that is made from a plant. The taxanes are made from the bark of the Pacific Yew tree called taxus. These are cell-cycle specific i.e. they attack the cancer cells during certain phases of mitosis or cell division process.

Paclitaxel is also an antimicrotubule agent. Hence, this drug works in two ways. There are microtubule structures inside the cell. Microtubules contribute in cell division and replication. Paclitaxel inhibits these microtubules. This results in programmed cell death as the cell cannot divide further.

Side Effects of Paclitaxel

Paclitaxel has side effects like any other chemotherapy drug. Some of the common side effects are-

• Hair loss
• Pain in the joints and muscles for 2-3 days after infusion
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Mild nausea and vomiting
• Chemotherapy mouth sores
• Low blood counts- A very common side effect that results in anemia, bruising and bleeding or decreased immunity. This is due to the reduction in the number of red cells, platelets or white blood cells respectively.
• Diarrhea
• Hypersensitivity reaction that causes fever, chills, shortness of breath, facial flushing or hives after Paclitaxel infusion. This is an allergic reaction to the drug that occurs within the first 10 minutes of infusion. There are medications prescribed prior to the treatment.

Relatively rare side effects of paclitaxel are-

• Swelling on the feet
• Changes in the blood tests that check liver function
• Low blood pressure within first 3 hours of infusion

Precautions for Paclitaxel Chemotherapy

• Notify your doctor about any other medications or therapies you are taking or have taken in the past. This includes prescription, OTC medications, vitamins, herbal remedies, supplements, alternative therapies, etc.
• Do not take aspirin or aspirin based products without consulting your doctor.
• Do not get yourself vaccinated against a particular disease without your doctor’s permission.
• Inform your doctor in case of pregnancy, lactation or your plans to conceive a child as this drug could harm a developing fetus.
• Avoid breast feeding while taking Paclitaxel as this drug could enter the breast milk and harm the baby.

Paclitaxel chemotherapy has helped in a progression free survival in many patients especially with ovarian cancer in clinical trials. It has been effectively used in combination with carboplatin to treat breast cancer and ovarian cancer. It is also used after stem cell transplantation in chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer.