introduction
Breast cancer remains one of the top causes of cancer death in women, second only to lung cancer. The treatment and prevention of the disease is the source of intensive research. Metastatic breast cancer is an advanced form of the disease in which the cancer has spread beyond the breast and invaded other organs including bones, liver, lungs or the brain.
Pacitaxol (brand name: Taxol or Paclitaxel) is a plant alkaloid derived from the yew tree. It has been extensively studied and has a role in treating metastatic breast cancer.
How it Works
Normal cells go through a cycle of three phases. There's a resting phase, a prophase--when there's increased synthesis of genetic material--and a metaphase, during which the cell actually divides. In cancerous cells, these phases are highly accelerated and out of control.
Pacitaxol is an antimitotic agent, which means it inhibits the process of cell division. It binds to certain cellular structures, making it impossible for genetic material to be organized for division and arresting the cell cycle in metaphase.
Pacitaxol in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Pacitaxol exhibits commendable effectiveness against metastatic breast cancer, with 56 percent response and only 8 percent disease progression, according to Frankie Ann Holmes et al, 1991. It's effective when prior treatment with other agents have failed.
Pacitaxol also improves the overall performance of other anti-cancer drugs in treatment of advanced breast cancer, prompting its widespread use in combination therapy with other agents. Given with doxorubicin, it's found to increase the efficacy of doxorubicin with a combined response rate of up to 83 percent--and 24 percent of patients show full remission of disease (Dombernowsky, P. et al, 1996). Its continued efficacy in pregnancy, sparing the fetus, also increases its popularity (Gaducci et al, 2003). In addition, it's used preoperatively to reduce tumor bulk and make surgical resections much easier.
