Chemotherapy Drug Triggers Fatal Allergic Reactions

Filed in archive Allergy to Drugs on June 9, 2009

© TheNickster

A new report indicates that between 1997 and 2007, there have been an unusually high number of deaths among cancer patients who received Cremophor-based paclitaxel, a solvent-administered taxane chemotherapy.

Adverse event reports generally only represent from 1 to 10 percent of actual incidence, so the number of hypersensitivity reactions and deaths is likely significantly higher. The severe allergic reactions are believed to be caused by Cremophor, the chemical solvent - a derivative of castor oil — that is used to dissolve some insoluble drugs before they can be injected into the blood stream.

Two patients who died from an allergic reaction had early-stage breast cancer, which had been surgically removed, and were being treated with Cremophor-containing paclitaxel to prevent the cancer from coming back. Both of these patients had received medications before the chemotherapy to reduce the risk of hypersensitivity reactions.

How sad is that? There was a good chance that these patients with early breast cancer would have lived several more years, if not for the fatal allergic reaction.

The report has been presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology held recently in Orlando, Fla.