From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-561665-409305
CHICAGO (UPI) -- Cremophor-containing paclitaxel, a drug used in
treating cancer, has been associated with allergic reactions, some
fatal, U.S. researchers said.
Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
identified 287 unique cases of hypersensitivity reactions submitted to
the FDA's Adverse Event Report System from 1997-2007, with 109 deaths
in patients who received Cremophor-based paclitaxel, a
solvent-administered taxane chemotherapy.
Adverse event reports generally only represent from 1 percent to 10
percent of actual incidence, so the number of hypersensitivity
reactions and deaths is likely significantly higher, the researchers
said.
Study leader Dr. Charles Bennett of Northwestern's Feinberg School and
Dennis Raisch of the University of New Mexico said the severe allergic
reactions are believed to be caused by Cremophor, the chemical solvent
-- a derivative of castor oil -- that is used to dissolve some
insoluble drugs before they can be injected into the blood stream.
Two patients who died from an allergic reaction had early-stage breast
cancer, which had been surgically removed, and were being treated with
Cremophor-containing paclitaxel to prevent the cancer from coming
back. Both of those patients had received medications before the
chemotherapy to reduce the risk of hypersensitivity reactions.
The report was presented at the 45th annual meeting of the American
Society of Clinical Oncology held in Orlando, Fla.