Taxol
Meaning of Taxol: Taxol is the brand name for paclitaxel, a chemotherapy drug that stops cancer cells from dividing by disrupting their internal skeleton.
Definition of Taxol
Taxol is a brand name for paclitaxel, a chemotherapy medication used to treat several types of cancer, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and certain lung cancers, as well as Kaposi sarcoma related to AIDS. It belongs to a class of drugs called taxanes.
Paclitaxel works by interfering with microtubules, the internal scaffolding cells build and take apart as they divide. It binds to microtubules and prevents them from breaking down normally, which blocks a dividing cell from completing division and can lead the cell to die.
Because paclitaxel affects any rapidly dividing cell rather than cancer cells specifically, it can also affect normal tissues that divide quickly, such as bone marrow and hair follicles, which accounts for some of its recognized side effects. It is given by intravenous infusion, often combined with other chemotherapy drugs.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Taxol was included in the patient's chemotherapy regimen for ovarian cancer.
Good to know
Taxol and paclitaxel refer to the same drug, while Abraxane is a distinct albumin bound formulation of paclitaxel with different administration requirements and side effect considerations.