Paclitaxel and Its Evolving Role in the Management of Ovarian Cancer

Figure 1

History of paclitaxel development. The search for the natural resources began in 1960 headed by NCI and USDA which led to discovery of Pacific yew’s bark. The active ingredient was isolated by Monroe Wall and Mansukh Wani and was named Taxol. Taxol demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro antineoplastic activity, as well in xenograft models with breast tumours. The mechanism of action which was unique was identified and subsequently, after 22 years, Taxol entered clinical trials and demonstrated good cytotoxicity activity and was finally approved by FDA for treatment against ovarian and breast cancers.