Indications
Docetaxel Trihydrate (sold as Docetaxel HEXAL) is a microtubule inhibitor. It is used for breast cancer (BC), either as a single agent for locally advanced or metastatic BC after chemotherapy has failed, or with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide as adjuvant treatment of operable node-positive BC. For non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Docetaxel Trihydrate is given alone when locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC has not responded to platinum therapy. It is given with cisplatin for unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC that has not been treated before. For metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), it is combined with prednisone. Gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) is another use, where it goes with cisplatin and fluorouracil for untreated, advanced GC, including the gastroesophageal junction. The last use is squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), where Docetaxel Trihydrate is combined with cisplatin and fluorouracil as induction treatment of locally advanced SCCHN.
⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.
Pharmacology
Docetaxel is an antineoplastic medicine. It works by disrupting the microtubule network inside cells, which the cells need for mitosis and for their normal functions between divisions. Docetaxel helps tubulin assemble into stable microtubules and, at the same time, stops those microtubules from breaking down. It also binds to free tubulin, so the critical concentration of tubulin inside the cell goes down.
Because polymerization of the microtubules is promoted, they form bundles that don't function normally, and the microtubules become stabilised. The result is that mitosis in the cells is inhibited. When Docetaxel binds to microtubules, the number of protofilaments in the bound microtubules does not change, and in this it differs from other spindle poisons.
In vitro, Docetaxel was found to be cytotoxic against various murine and human tumor cell lines, and against freshly excised human tumor cells in clonogenic assays. It was also found to be active on a number of cell lines that overexpress the p-glycoprotein, which is encoded by the multidrug resistant gene.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Animal reproduction studies and the way docetaxel works both point to a risk: docetaxel can harm the unborn baby when it is given to a pregnant woman. No one knows whether docetaxel passes into human breast milk, or what it does to milk production or to a breastfed child. Studies of docetaxel in breastfeeding animals have not been done.
⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Dosage Reference
⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.