Principal investigator Jean-Marc Nabholtz, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cancer Therapy Development Program at the University of California at Los Angeles, will present the study. Secondary objectives included comparisons of the response rate, duration of response, survival, toxicity and quality of life between the two arms of the study. The results of the study will compare these combinations with respect to tumor response rate and to toxicity. The study, chaired by David R. Gandara, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Trials at the University of California Medical Center at Davis in Sacramento, Calif., will be presented by Laurie Gaspar, MD, Radiation Oncology Co-chair of the SWOG Lung Committee and Director of Radiation Oncology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. The objectives of this study were to determine the appropriate dose and safety for Phase II studies, and to assess the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and biologic correlative endpoints.
Microtubules assemble and disassemble during a cell cycle.
Taxotere promotes their assembly and blocks their disassembly, thereby preventing cancer cells from dividing and resulting in cancer cell death. The most common severe side effects associated with Taxotere include low blood cell count, fatigue, fluid retention and mouth sores. The most common non-severe side effects included hair loss, neurosensory, cutaneous, nail changes, nausea and diarrhea. These side effects are generally reversible and manageable. A premedication regimen with corticosteroids is recommended in order to prevent or reduce hypersensitivity and fluid retention.