TAXANES - A NEW CLASS OF ANTITUMOR AGENTS

Taxanes belong to a new group of antineoplastic agents with a novel me chanism of action for a cytotoxic drug. They promote microtubule assem bly and stabilize the microtubules. Paclitaxel, the first agent in thi s group to become available, was isolated from the Pacific yew, Taxus brevifolia, in 1971. In preclinical and clinical studies, paclitaxel a nd its semisynthetic analog docetaxel exhibit significant antitumor ac tivity. This review deals with the physicochemical properties, pharmac ology, and results of preclinical and clinical trials of the taxanes.