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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Carotid Artery Infusions for Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Analysis of Taxanes in Mice
Published on: October 27, 2014
A 15-min premedication for 1-h paclitaxel infusion: optimizing patients' care
Background:
Paclitaxel is a plant product highly active in numerous cancers, but anaphylactic-like hypersensitivity reactions with it have been reported in about 28% of patients receiving the drug. Thirty to sixty minutes are needed to give a standard premedication with steroids and diphenhydramine, leading to patients and nurses' discomfort and stealing time from other infusional treatments.
Patients And Methods:
Eighty-nine patients with advanced NSCLC never pre-treated with taxanes, received paclitaxel followed by gemcitabine on days 1, 8, 15 q4wks. Premedication consisted of prednisone 25 mg/os on day 0 and hydrocortisone plus clorfenamina maleato given intravenous on day 1 by a 15 min infusion immediately before paclitaxel administration.
Results:
Hypersensitivity reactions occurred in 3/341 (0.8%) cycles. In all three cases we observed severe dyspnoea and bronchospasm, that required treatment discontinuation but one was probably due to gemcitabine and another had a protracting time after premedication.
Conclusions:
A 15-min premedication infusion administered immediately before paclitaxel appeared to be highly effective in patients treated with 1h-infusion paclitaxel.
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