Docetaxel Injection

A drug used alone or with other drugs to treat certain types of breast cancer, stomach cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Docetaxel stops cancer cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. It is a type of taxane. Also called Taxotere. US Brand Name(s): Taxotere. FDA Approved: Yes

Docetaxel is approved to be used alone or with other drugs to treat:

• Breast cancer that is locally advanced or has metastasized (spread to other parts of the body) and has not gotten better with other chemotherapy. It is also used with doxorubicin hydrochloride and cyclophosphamide to treat breast cancer that is node-positive and can be removed by surgery.
• Non-small cell lung cancer that is locally advanced or has metastasized. It is used:
• Alone in patients whose cancer has not gotten better after platinum chemotherapy; or
• With cisplatin in patients whose cancer cannot be treated with surgery.
• Prostate cancer that has metastasized in men whose cancer is hormone-refractory (does not respond to hormone treatment).
• Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck that is locally advanced. It is used with cisplatin and fluorouracil.
• Stomach adenocarcinoma or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (a rare type of esophageal cancer) that is advanced. It is used in patients whose disease has not been treated with chemotherapy.