Cancer – Taxols

Transcript

Common group chemotherapy drugs that we use in several tumor types are called Taxols. And basically they usually have the name “tax” in it. So it could be paclitaxel. It could be docetaxel. And variations of those that again, are used in several tumors, but they share some of the similar side effects. One of the main side effects is what we call neuropathy. And that basically is numbness or tingling in your hands and feet, but sometimes it can get so bad. It’s hard to turn the pages of your book or button your shirt. And these are things that your oncologist must be aware of because those are indications to reduce the amount. They can also cause a decrease on your counts, which when we say that, we mean the things that are made in the bone marrow. So your red blood cells that carry oxygen, your platelets that help you clot, and especially your neutrophils or your ANC, the part of the white count that help fight infection. So a lot of these drugs can decrease those and we have to dose reduce for those problems. Like any other chemotherapy drugs, they can increase your chance of infection if the counts get low and you can have kind of a sensitive reaction depending on the Taxol product that you’re using.