OVARIAN CANCER : 135 MG/M2 INFUSED OVER 24 HOURS, FOLLOWED BY CISPLATIN, AND REPEATED AT 3-WEEK INTERVALS. ALTERNATIVELY 175 MG/M2 MAY BE INFUSED OVER 3 HOURS, FOLLOWED BY CISPLATIN, EVERY 3 WEEKS. FOR THE SECONDARY TREATMENT OF OVARIAN CANCER, THE SUGGESTED DOSE AS A SINGLE AGENT IS 135 OR 175 MG/M2 INFUSED OVER 3 HOURS ONCE EVERY 3 WEEKS.
BREAST CANCER : A DOSE OF PACLITAXEL 175 MG/M2 INFUSED OVER 3 HOURS ONCE EVERY 3 WEEKS IS RECOMMENDED FOR ADJUVANT TREATMENT (FOR 4 COURSES), FOR SECOND-LINE MONOTHERAPY, AND FOR FIRST-LINE TREATMENT WITH TRASTUZUMAB; PACLITAXEL IS GIVEN THE DAY AFTER THE FIRST DOSE OF TRASTUZUMAB, OR IMMEDIATELY AFTER SUBSEQUENT DOSES IF WELL-TOLERATED. WHEN USED FIRST-LINE WITH DOXORUBICIN, PACLITAXEL 220 MG/M2 IS INFUSED OVER 3 HOURS ONCE EVERY 3 WEEKS; THE DOSE IS GIVEN 24 HOURS AFTER DOXORUBICIN.
NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER, THE RECOMMENDED DOSE IS 135 MG/M2 OVER 24 HOURS OR 175 MG/M2 OVER 3 HOURS, FOLLOWED BY CISPLATIN, AND REPEATED AT 3-WEEK INTERVALS.
AIDS-RELATED KAPOSI'S SARCOMA :A DOSE OF 135 MG/M2 OVER 3 HOURS ONCE EVERY 3 WEEKS HAS BEEN SUGGESTED. ALTERNATIVELY, 100 MG/M2 OVER 3 HOURS EVERY 2 WEEKS MAY BE GIVEN, ESPECIALLY IN PATIENTS WITH POOR PERFORMANCE STATUS.
REGULAR BLOOD COUNTS SHOULD BE PERFORMED, AND DOSAGE SHOULD NOT BE REPEATED UNTIL THE NEUTROPHIL AND PLATELET COUNTS ARE AT ACCEPTABLE LEVELS; THE NEUTROPHIL COUNT SHOULD BE ABOVE 1000 CELLS/MM3 IN PATIENTS WITH AIDS. THE DOSE SHOULD BE REDUCED BY 20% IN SUBSEQUENT COURSES IN PATIENTS WHO EXPERIENCE SEVERE NEUTROPENIA OR PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY. PATIENTS SHOULD BE PRETREATED WITH CORTICOSTEROIDS, ANTIHISTAMINES, AND HISTAMINE H2-ANTAGONISTS.