It's hard to put into words what you feel when you find out you have cancer. But when the doctor talks about treatment and you hear words like 'chemotherapy', it's normal to feel even more scared, curious, and confused. One of the most commonly used chemo drugs for cancer treatment is 'Taxane.' Today, we'll talk about this very simply, in a way that you can understand, as if you were talking to a close friend.
What exactly is Taxane?
Simply put, taxanes are a class of chemotherapy drugs that kill cancer cells and stop the growth of tumors. Chemotherapy involves adding these drugs to our bloodstream, which travels throughout the body to find and destroy cancer cells.
What makes these taxane drugs unique is that they are naturally derived from trees. They were first extracted from the bark of the 'Yew' tree . In fact, taxanes are one of two types of chemo drugs derived from plants. The other type is a group of drugs called 'Vinca alkaloids', which are derived from the 'Mella' plant.
Nowadays, scientists are studying the chemical structure of taxanes obtained from these plants and are even working to produce them synthetically in laboratories.
How does this drug kill cancer cells?
To understand this, we first need to understand how cancer cells spread. Cancer spreads by dividing one cancer cell into two, which in turn divides into four, and then multiply rapidly. In medicine, the process by which a cell divides in two is called mitosis .
What taxane drugs do is interfere with the process of cell division.
Imagine that when a cell divides, the genetic material inside that cell must be exactly divided into two and sent to the two new cells. There are structures inside the cell that help with this task, like little cable ties. These are called microtubules . These are what pull the parts needed for the two new cells apart.
When the taxane drug is taken into the body, it makes these cables called microtubules unnecessarily stiff . Then they cannot fold or unfold properly. Therefore, the process of dividing the cell into two stops halfway. When this division cannot be done, the parent cell dies after a while.
Taxane drugs control cancer by destroying the ability of cancer cells to divide and grow.
What types of cancer are taxane drugs used for?
Taxanes are a very important class of drugs used to treat a wide range of cancers. Some of these are used as first-line treatment for some cancers, while others are used for metastatic cancers.
| Types of cancer treated with Taxane | |
|---|---|
| Mainly used cancer | |
| Ovarian cancer | Breast cancer |
| Other types of cancer treated | |
| Bladder cancer | Cervical cancer |
| Gastrointestinal cancer | Head and neck cancers |
| Prostate cancer | Lung cancer (Non-small cell lung cancer) |
| Uterine cancer | Lymphoma |
In some cases, taxanes are given in combination with other chemotherapy drugs. Your doctor will decide which treatment is best for your condition.
How is this treatment given? And what are the side effects?
How the treatment is given
Taxanes are given intravenously (IV) . They are given through a cannula (catheter), similar to a saline solution. This treatment can take an hour or several hours. You may need to receive this treatment once a week, or once every few weeks. Your doctor will decide the treatment schedule based on your condition.
Commonly seen side effects
Although chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cancer cells, they can sometimes also affect healthy, rapidly dividing cells in our bodies. For example, things like our hair follicle cells, skin cells, and blood cells. This is why side effects occur.
| Side Effect | A simple explanation |
|---|---|
| Neutropenia | A decrease in the number of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that fights infection in the body, which increases the risk of developing infections. |
| Peripheral neuropathy | Nerve damage in the arms and legs. This can cause numbness, pain, or weakness in the arms and legs . |
| Hair loss | This is a common side effect, but hair will grow back after treatment is complete. |
| Vomiting and nausea | It is common during treatment days. Medication is given to control this. |
| Muscle and joint pain | There may be pain in the body and stiffness in the joints. |
| Blood pressure changes | Blood pressure may rise or fall. |
| Decreased blood cells | A decrease in red blood cells can lead to anemia and a decrease in platelets (thrombocytopenia) can lead to a risk of bleeding. |
These side effects do not occur in everyone. Also, many of them can be controlled. It is very important to inform your doctor or nursing staff about any discomfort you feel.
Are there any risks with this treatment?
Taxanes are a very effective treatment that has extended the lives of cancer patients. However, like all treatments, there are some risks.
Sometimes, the side effects mentioned above can be serious. In such cases, your doctor may decide to change your treatment schedule or temporarily stop it.
Another important thing is that over time, cancer cells can start to 'get used to' this drug. That is, they develop chemoresistance . Then the drug's effect may decrease. But if that happens, your doctor will turn to options such as trying a different drug combination or recommending a different treatment regimen.
Take-Home Message
- Taxane is a very powerful class of chemotherapy drugs derived from plants that stop cancer cells from dividing.
- This successfully treats many types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, and lung.
- Side effects such as hair loss, numbness, and body aches may occur, but most of them can be managed.
- It is very important to tell your doctor or nurse about any minor discomfort you feel during treatment.
- Cancer treatment is a journey. Always remember that you are not alone on this journey and that you have a skilled medical team to help you.
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