Paclitaxel is a medication that is given to patients who have metastatic breast cancer or other rapidly spreading and potentially fatal cancers such as ovarian cancer, lung cancer or Kaposi’s sarcoma. This medication binds to proteins in cancer cells in order to stop them from continuing to grow.

Side Effects/Warnings

Patients who have low white blood cell counts should not take this medication because it dramatically lowers the number of white blood cells in the body. If a patient already has a low white blood cell count, he or she might develop serious infections as a result of taking this medication. You should report all signs of infection to your doctor so that infections can be treated promptly and you can be taken off this medication if needed.