
“Deborah agreed to take part in a trial as she was keen to help other cancer patients in the future. "If taking part in a trial means others might be helped then I’m very happy with that."
This trial was looking at a drug called Taxoprexin for breast cancer that has spread to another part of the body (secondary breast cancer).
Doctors often use chemotherapy to treat breast cancer that has spread. In this trial, they were looking at a new drug called Taxoprexin. It is made up of a chemotherapy drug called paclitaxel, and a natural fatty acid called DHA. Cancer cells collect fatty acids, including DHA. So the researchers hoped that this would help more of the paclitaxel to get into the cancer cells and kill them.
The aims of the trial were to find out
The researchers presented the results of the trial at a large cancer conference in 2003. They found that Taxoprexin worked about as well as other taxane drugs.
The main side effect was a drop in the number of blood cells, causing an increased risk of infection and bruising or bleeding problems.
We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () but may not have been published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Prof Stephen Johnston
Theradex
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
“Deborah agreed to take part in a trial as she was keen to help other cancer patients in the future. "If taking part in a trial means others might be helped then I’m very happy with that."