The role of taxanes in breast cancer treatment.
Cancer of the breast is a serious public health problem throughout the world. Chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment of both early stage and metastatic breast cancer. New advances in chemotherapy include paclitaxel and docetaxel. This article reviews the historical background to the introduction of these highly active agents, their biochemistry, mechanism of action and pharmacology, dose and schedule in the treatment of breast cancer, first- and second-line use as well as anthracycline/taxane combinations. Adjuvant, neoadjuvant use and the emergence of weekly taxanes is discussed. (c) 2001 Prous Science. All rights reserved.
Levin
Mark
M
Division of Hematology and Oncology, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Cancer Center at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Bronx, New York, USA.