Elevated protoporphyrin in patients with skin cancer receiving taxane chemotherapy

Docetaxel and paclitaxel are both taxanes used for treatment of various malignant tumors. Only two case reports have described photohypersensitivity induced by docetaxel and paclitaxel in association with porphyrin aberrations.

To examine whether aberrations in the biosynthesis of porphyrins and photohypersensitivity occur among patients receiving taxanes.

We examined porphyrin aberrations and photohypersensitivity in 8 patients with skin cancers who received docetaxel or paclitaxel chemotherapy in our department.

Aberrations in erythrocyte protoporphyrin were detected in 4 patients, while no such aberration was detected in the control group. Photohypersensitivity to Ultraviolet B (UVB) was detected in 2 patients; one was related to an elevated synthesis of protoporphyrin but the other was not. Photohypersensitivity to Ultraviolet A (UVA) or visible light was not detected.

Docetaxel and paclitaxel chemotherapy seemed to induce aberrations in porphyrin biosynthesis, although an elevated synthesis of porphyrin did not necessarily cause photohypersensitivity.