Taxol Uses

Various types of cancer can be treated with Taxol. Uses for the medication include the treatment of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer. Since children may be more sensitive to the side effects of Taxol, the drug is not approved for treating cancer in children. "Off-label" Taxol uses may also include the treatment of head and neck cancer and bladder cancer.

Taxol Chemotherapy Cancer Treatment

An Overview of Taxol Uses

Taxol^® (paclitaxel) is a prescription medication used to treat breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and lung cancer. It is part of a group of chemotherapy medications called taxanes. Specifically, Taxol is approved to treat the following types of cancer:

Ovarian cancer: The drug is used alone or in combination with cisplatin (Platinol^®) for advanced ovarian cancer (cancer that has spread or is starting to spread to other parts of the body).
Node-positive breast cancer: Taxol can be part of a chemotherapy regimen containing doxorubicin (Adriamycin^®) for node-positive breast cancer that has spread to a lymph node after breast cancer surgery.
Mestatic breast cancer: The drug can be used to treat metastatic breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body after other chemotherapy regimens have failed.
Recurrent breast cancer: Taxol can be used to treat breast cancer that has returned within six months of prior chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery.
Non-small cell lung cancer: The drug can be used with cisplatin to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that is not likely to be cured by surgery or radiation.
AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma: Taxol is also used to treat AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma that has not responded to other treatments.

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