The Difference Between Abraxane and Taxol

Abraxane vs Taxol Both Taxol and Abarxine are drugs that are used in chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer.…

Abraxane vs Taxol

Both Taxol and Abarxine are drugs that are used in chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. Taxol has been used for quite some time, but Abraxane is a relatively new drug that is essentially a modification of an existing drug through different manufacturing processes. Both of these drugs have proven to be effective, but there are advantages and disadvantages associated with each one.

These breast cancer drugs are designed to stop the growth of the cancer cells. They are different in the manner in which they carry out this task because of the components from which they are made and their measure of effectiveness. With the introduction of these new chemotherapeutic drugs, patients no longer have the same side effects that were common with the older treatments.

What is Abraxane?

Abraxane uses albumin, which is a human protein, in conjunction with pacitaxel to deliver the treatment to the cancerous cells. It is easier to do this when albumin is used because there are receptors for this protein on the surface of the cells of the tumors. This makes it easier for the molecules of the drug to bind with them and start to work effectively. Inside the tumor, there is a protein called SPARC that supplied the tumor with the nutrients it needs to grow. When Abraxane bonds with the cells, it cuts off this supply of nutrients.

There are no chemical solvents in Abraxane, which means that patients do not need to take a regimen of medication before receiving treatment to combat the effects of the chemicals on the body. This drug has been approved for use in the treatment of breast cancer in almost all countries of the world.

What is Taxol?

Taxol is a chemotherapy drug that is delivered by injection. It is derived from plants and it is effective in cancer treatment because it prevents the formation of microtubes in the cells. It is used to treat various forms of cancer, such as cancer of the breast, ovaries, bladder, lungs and other organs of the body.

It is an irritant, which means that great care must be taken when it is being administered. The dosage that a patient receives depends on the extent and stage of the cancer as well as the body mass. Side effects are quite common with this drug and include the loss of hair, low blood count, vomiting and diarrhea and hypersensitivity. Because of the hypersensitivity side effect, patients must take medication to combat this before they start receiving taxol.

Main differences between Abraxane and Taxol

Components: Abraxane does not contain chemical solvents but Taxol does.

Length of time to administer: It takes about 30 minutes to administer Abraxane compared with three hours to administer Taxol.

Premedication: Taxol requires the patient to take anti-hypersensitivity drugs before treatment, but no premedication is needed before Abraxane treatment.

Effectiveness: Abraxane has proven to be more effective because of its natural components.

Side Effects: Taxol has a long list of side effects but there are few or no side effects with Abraxane.

Survival rate: Clinical trials have shown that the survival rate for cancer patients is longer when Abraxane is the treatment used.

Rate of response: Abraxane has shown to have a higher response rate than Taxol.

Cost: Taxol is cheaper because it costs less to manufacture.

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