Docetaxel secretion in tears: association with lacrimal drainage obstruction
Bita Esmaeli1, M Amir Ahmadi, Edgardo Rivera
1Ophthalmology Section, Department of Plastic Surgery, Box 443, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030, USA. besmaeli@mdanderson.org
Objective:
To test the hypothesis that docetaxel may be secreted in tears after intravenous infusion.
Design:
Prospective pilot trial.
Patients And Methods:
Tear fluid was collected from 4 patients receiving docetaxel weekly and 2 patients receiving docetaxel every 3 weeks as a single agent for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Tear samples were collected once prior to and again within 30 minutes following the end of the 1-hour docetaxel infusion. A blood sample was also obtained after infusion. The tear and plasma samples were analyzed for drug content using high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry.
Results:
Docetaxel was found in the tear samples collected from all 6 patients.
Conclusion:
The secretion of docetaxel in tears may be a mechanism for canalicular inflammation and tear drainage obstruction, which are known to occur as an adverse effect of the drug.
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