Taxol treatment of cancer

Abstract

The present invention is a method of treatment for a patient with cancer. In particular, it is a method of treating patients having lymphomas and breast cancer using the microtubule agent, Taxol. The present method of administration, serves to prevent or retard the adverse side effects associated with Taxol and reduces the chances of a patient developing mdr Taxol resistance. The novel method of treatment provides a low-dose, long-term exposure to Taxol in a patient.

1. A method of treating a patient suffering from breast cancer, which comprises:
 (a) intravenously infusing taxol into said patient at a continuous dosage rate of between  17 . 5  to  35  milligrams of taxol per square meter of patient surface area per  24  hours to infuse between  70  and  140  milligrams of taxol per square meter of patient surface area into said patient over a period of  96  hours; and    (b) repeating said step (a) in  21  day cycles until remission of said patient's breast cancer is obtained.    
     
     
       2. A method of treating a patient suffering from breast cancer, which comprises:
 (a) intravenously infusing taxol into said patient at a continuous dosage rate of between  17 . 5  milligrams and  35  milligrams of taxol per square meter of patient surface area per  24  hours to infuse between  70  and  140  milligrams of taxol per square meter of patient surface area into said patient over a period of  96  hours; and    (b) repeating said step (a) in  21  days cycles until remission of said patient's cancer is obtained.   
     
     
       3. A method of reducing the development of multi-drug resistance in a tumor or cancer sensitive to taxol and selected from the group consisting of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and melanoma in a patient being treated with taxol, comprising:
 continuously intravenously infusing the patient with a taxol infusion solution over a period of at least about  96  hours, wherein said solution contains a concentration of taxol sufficient to provide a continuous dosage rate of between  17 . 5  milligrams and  35  milligrams of taxol per square meter of patient surface area per  24  hours over a dosage period of at least about  90  hours, wherein said continuous intravenous infusion reduces the development of multi-drug resistance in said tumor or cancer sensitive to taxol.   
     
     
       4. A method of reducing development of multi-drug resistance in a tumor or cancer sensitive to taxol and selected from the group consisting of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and melanoma in a patient being treated with taxol, comprising:
 continuously intravenously infusing the patient with a taxol infusion solution containing a concentration of taxol sufficient to provide a continuous dosage rate of between  70  milligrams and  140  milligrams of taxol per square meter of patient surface area per  96  hour time period, wherein said continuous intravenous infusion reduces the development of multi-drug resistance in said tumor or cancer sensitive to taxol.   
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 3  or  claim 4 , wherein the tumor or cancer is a breast cancer. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the continuous infusion of the taxol infusion solution is repeated in  21  day cycles.