Drug Evaluation: Oncologic, Endocrine & Metabolic: Docetaxel (Taxotere®): current status and clinical prospects

Abstract

New active anticancer agents are found only sporadically, and docetaxel (Taxotere®) serves as an example of how rationalisation can be directly translated into more effective therapy. The heretofore parochial approach to cancer research need not detract from the rational efforts to synthesise active drug analogues, or from designing improved clinical protocols. At the outset, such molecular and pharmacological ‘tinkering’ clued investigators into the structure-activity relationship of anticancer drugs and their more efficacious use. Such is the case for the taxoid, docetaxel. This novel drug tends to be more potent in vitro than paclitaxel (Taxol®) and clinical trials indicate that docetaxel displays activity in what are considered to be poorly responsive tumours (e.g., advanced breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and ovarian carcinoma). Nevertheless, further comparative clinical studies are required to assess the differences between docetaxel and paclitaxel.