Nab-Paclitaxel as Neoadjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer

Yu (Amy) Zong, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, discusses a meta-analysis of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer.

In a comparison to the commonly used paclitaxel, nab-paclitaxel was used in adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer. Developed to avoid solvent-related toxicities, nab-paclitaxel has a higher rate of solubility within the body, which does not put a limit the dosage of the drug, says Zong.

Twenty-one studies with 2357 patients were looked at, with only 3 of them being randomized. The aggregate rate was 32%, but varied in different subgroups.

Although patients experienced peripheral sensory neuropsy events, nab-paclitaxel, and paclitaxel resulted in the same level of toxicities. Hypersensitivity was lower with nab-paclitaxel, reports Zong, leading to the conclusion that nab-paclitaxel is an effective cytotoxic drug in the neoadjuvant setting.

The findings are still early, according to Zong. As for the future, more randomized trials should be conducted to decide whether nab-paclitaxel demonstrates higher efficacy than the other taxane treatments being used currently.