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Paclitaxel (Chemotherapy)
Paclitaxel stabilizes microtubules by binding to β-tubulin, preventing their depolymerization and causing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells.
Paclitaxel stabilizes microtubules by binding to β-tubulin, preventing their depolymerization and causing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells. Used for Metastatic carcinoma of the ovary, Breast cancer (metastatic and adjuvant), Non-small cell lung cancer.
At a glance
| Generic name | Paclitaxel (Chemotherapy) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Hoffmann-La Roche |
| Drug class | Taxane; microtubule-stabilizing agent |
| Target | β-tubulin (microtubule) |
| Modality | Small molecule |
| Therapeutic area | Oncology |
| Phase | Phase 3 |
Mechanism of action
Paclitaxel is a microtubule-stabilizing agent that binds to β-tubulin dimers within assembled microtubules, preventing their disassembly. This disrupts the dynamic instability required for normal mitotic spindle function, leading to G2/M phase cell cycle arrest. The resulting mitotic block triggers apoptosis in rapidly dividing cancer cells.
Approved indications
- Metastatic carcinoma of the ovary
- Breast cancer (metastatic and adjuvant)
- Non-small cell lung cancer
- Kaposi sarcoma
- Gastric adenocarcinoma
Common side effects
- Neutropenia
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Myalgia/arthralgia
- Alopecia
- Nausea/vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Mucositis
- Hypersensitivity reactions
Key clinical trials
- Durvalumab in Combination With Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors, DURVA+ Trial (PHASE2)
- Paclitaxel and Carboplatin With or Without Bevacizumab in Treating Patients With Stage II, Stage III, or Stage IV Ovarian Epithelial Cancer, Primary Peritoneal Cancer, or Fallopian Tube Cancer (PHASE3)
- BAL0891 in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors or Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia (PHASE1)
- Reduced-dose Carboplatin-doublet-chemotherapy + Cemiplimab vs Cemiplimab Monotherapy in Treatment Naive Older and Frail Patients With Metastatic NSCLC With PD-L1 <50% (PHASE2)
- A Study of Sacituzumab Tirumotecan (Sac-TMT, MK-2870) as Monotherapy and in Combination With Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in Participants With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (MK-2870-011/TroFuse-011) (PHASE3)
- A Clinical Study of Sacituzumab Tirumotecan (Sac-TMT, MK-2870) in People With Breast Cancer (MK-2870-032) (PHASE3)
- Testing the Addition of Radium Therapy (Radium-223 Dichloride) to the Usual Chemotherapy Treatment (Paclitaxel) for Advanced Breast Cancer That Has Spread to the Bones (PHASE2)
- Testing the Addition of an Individualized Vaccine to Durvalumab and Tremelimumab and Chemotherapy in Patients With Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer (PHASE2)
Primary sources
Every claim on this page is sourced from regulatory or scientific primary sources. See our editorial policy for full methodology.
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| ClinicalTrials.gov | Trial enrolment, design, endpoints, results |
Competitive intelligence
For the full competitive landscape — auto-detected comparators, recent regulatory actions across the set, upcoming PDUFA, patent timeline, sponsor landscape:
- Paclitaxel (Chemotherapy) CI brief — competitive landscape report
- Paclitaxel (Chemotherapy) updates RSS · CI watch RSS
- Hoffmann-La Roche portfolio CI