Taxol side effect?

[Lisa]

I've been on weekly Taxol for several weeks now and have developed a terrible, angry looking, itchy rash on my chest. ..lots of little red, raised bumps. I was using a hydrocortisone cream and OTC anthistamines, but it kept spreading. I finally called my doc (from out of town) and got a Rx antihistamine that seems to help. I haven't seen the doc since it got so bad last week (I'm taking a week off.)

Have any of you had this reaction to Taxol or the usual pre-meds?

Love and light,

Lisa

[StephN]

Gosh - NO, Lisa.
No such annoying rash with all the Taxol I took, but I also had it with Navelbine and Herceptin each week.

Hope this is caused by something else so that you can remain on the Taxol untroubled.
Can they try to change the premed at all? What do the infusion nurses or your onc's nurse case manager have to say? Are they familiar with something like that?

Stay strong!

[*_Penny_*]

Lisa-
When my mom had taxol she had to take Benedryl the night before and the morning of her treatment. She might have also taken decadron. Do they have you on either one of these before treatment? She never got any kind of rash while on taxol.
Take Care
Penny

[StephN]

Hi -
Should have mentioned in first post above.

I am a very "allergic" person to contact and airborne triggers.

For rashes I make a little gauze and baking soda "plaster" and then cover with some plastic to seal.

I have also used Cetaphil soap for years, both liquid and bars.

There is a very nice organic "detox" skin cream available at health and whole food type stores that I use. REALLy cuts down any rashes I get.

Drinking the detox teas since my liver mets seems to have lessen my general problems with allergies. (We will see what the trees do around here in 1 month!)

People's allergies change (and mine have tested differently over the years), and these are just some ways to help with symptoms.

I only took Benedryl with the Taxotere, and the first two or three times with Taxol, but they took it off as no reaction. I hate Benedryl as it makes me too groggy. I take Allegra when I need to stomp my symptoms.

Hoping you find relief soon with this problem ;)

[Sandy H.]

Never had a reaction to Taxol with a rash. I am praying its not skin mets! I don't want to scare you but its a possiblity. They can be very itchy and burning. Need to get it seen and checked out by oncologist. If not better and gone in two weeks should get biopsy. Hang in there. Hugs, Sandy

[*_judiek_*]

Hi Lisa,

How are you feeling?? I hope WBR didn't tucker you out to much. I have been on taxol/avastin for one year. I started breaking out in different areas. Doctor gave me CLINDAMYCIN PHOSPHATE SOL 1%. It's liquid and you just dob it on. Mine finally cleared. Mine kinda looked like little pimples but acne cream wouldn't help...this cleared it up for me.

Best of luck to you...take care

Warmly,

judiek

History

Discovered lump Sept. 2002 (mammo didn’t pick it up)
Dx Oct 2002-just turned 41
IDC and pagets disease, stage 2B, grade 3/3, nottingham scale 9/9
3cm, lumpectomy,clean margins
er/pr-pos, her2 neg, 2/25 nodes w/cancer
Nov 2002-March 2003-FEC (5fu, epirubicin, cytoxen)
March 2003- started tamoxifen
May 2003- finished rads (33tx)
June 2003-CT/PET Scan- clear
Started 3 month check ups w/lab
Dec 2003-complete hysterectomy
Jan 2004-extensive mets, both lungs & liver(labs normal)
Jan -stopped tamoxifen
Feb CEA-23 (0-3 normal) CA27.29-66.1 (0-38 normal)
Feb 23to current-clinical trial, taxol & avastin
April 15th, -CT-significant shrinkage on all tumors/plueral effusion gone
June 8th -CT-all liver lesions decreased in size/lung mets gone
Aug 9th, -CA27.29 is 22.3, CEA is .8)
Aug 9th, 2004-Brain-CT neg, lung mets/pleural effusion still gone, liver mets had slight shrinkage. Largest hypodesne lesion is 2.1cm, 6 others 1cm or less.
Sept 13th-bone scan negative, mri revealed herniated disc.
Sept 27- Ct of brain, negative/lung mets still gone/ 2 liver lesions gone, 4 under 1cm, 1 @1.7cm.
Nov 29-CT shows stable, lungs still clear, liver tumors stable
Jan 11, 2005-CA27.29 23 / CEA 2.9
Jan 18th, Ct shows disease is still stable