Taxotere
Meaning of Taxotere: A brand of docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug that works by freezing the internal scaffolding a cell needs in order to divide.
Definition of Taxotere
Taxotere is a brand name for docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug given by drip for breast, prostate, lung, stomach and head and neck cancers. It belongs to the taxane group, originally derived from yew trees. It locks the fine protein fibers that pull a dividing cell apart, so the cell cannot complete division and dies instead.
How does it stop a cell dividing?
Before a cell splits it builds a spindle from hollow protein tubes called microtubules. These tubes must lengthen and shorten constantly to line up the chromosomes and drag them to opposite ends. Docetaxel binds the tubes and stabilizes them, so they can no longer shorten. The spindle sets solid. The cell stalls in mid-division and then destroys itself. As a mitotic inhibitor it therefore hits any tissue that divides quickly, which is why marrow, hair and gut lining suffer alongside the tumor.
What is it used for?
| Cancer | Usual role |
|---|---|
| Breast cancer | After surgery and in advanced disease |
| Prostate cancer | Disease no longer controlled by hormone treatment |
| Non small cell lung cancer | Alone or with a platinum drug |
| Stomach cancer | Part of a combination regimen |
| Head and neck cancer | Given before or alongside radiotherapy |
What are its characteristic effects?
A steep fall in white cells is the main dose limiting problem, and it brings a risk of serious infection in the following week or two. Fluid retention builds up over repeated cycles, showing as swollen ankles and weight gain, and a steroid is given around each dose to blunt it and to reduce the chance of an allergic reaction to the solution the drug is dissolved in. Numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes accumulate with successive cycles and may not fully reverse. Hair loss, mouth soreness, nail changes and fatigue are usual.
How does it relate to paclitaxel?
Both are taxanes and both freeze the same spindle. Docetaxel was made by chemical modification of a compound from the European yew, while paclitaxel came first, from the bark of the Pacific yew. They differ in the schedule on which they are given, in the solvent used, and in the balance of side effects, with fluid retention more prominent for one and nerve damage and allergic reactions for the other. They are not interchangeable.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The patient completed four cycles of Taxotere with a supporting growth factor injection.
Good to know
Docetaxel and paclitaxel are both taxanes acting on the same target but differ in schedule, solvent and side effect profile, and cumulative nerve damage may not fully resolve after treatment ends.