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Acute cutaneous reactions to docetaxel, a new chemotherapeutic agent
G C Zimmerman1, J H Keeling, H A Burris
1Department of Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Tex.
Background:
Docetaxel (RP 56976) is a new chemotherapeutic agent that has shown promise in a number of animal studies and is currently undergoing phase I and phase II trials. Early in the phase I trials, it was noted that a significant number of patients were experiencing a variety of cutaneous complaints, so we elected to prospectively evaluate the cutaneous reactions occurring during the first three courses of therapy in the first 12 patients enrolled for phase I chemotherapy at our institutions.
Observations:
All but one patient had some type of cutaneous eruption over the three courses of therapy. Of the 27 evaluable courses of docetaxel given, 19 (70%) resulted in a cutaneous eruption with four (21%) being asymptomatic and 15 (79%) being at least mildly symptomatic. The most common reaction seen was characterized by discrete erythematous to violaceous patches or edematous plaques similar to acral erythema.
Conclusion:
Although a majority of patients receiving docetaxel experience some degree of cutaneous reaction, the eruptions are usually mildly symptomatic and almost always self-limiting.