Infusion hypersensitivity is very common during paclitaxel therapy. Pretreatment with an antihistamine, a corticosteroid and an H2 blocker largely prevents or ameliorates this reaction (Bookman et al, 1997) . Mild interstitial pneumonitis with transitory infiltrates has also been reported; observation or lowdose corticosteroids resulted in a good response, even when this occurred in conjunction with radiotherapy (Goldberg and Vannice, 1995; Ramanathan and Belani, 1996) . Fluid retention syndrome during docetaxel therapy is very common and is associated with dyspnoea. This reaction can be prevented by dexamethasone (Piccart et al, 1997; Semb et al, 1998) . Interstitial pneumonitis and ARDS-like pattern have also been reported with docetaxel, particularly when it is used in combination with radiotherapy or gemcitabine. Both reactions respond well to corticosteroid therapy; however, when docetaxel is used in combination with radiotherapy or gemcitabine, the response to corticosteroid therapy can be variable to poor, with some deaths reported (Merad et al, 1997; Dunsford et al, 1999; Read et al, 2002) .