Klin Onkol 1992; 5(4): 108-109.
Notwithstanding great progress in understanding the molecular basis of malignant transformation, chemotherapy remains, and will so for at least the next decade, the mainstay of treatment for cancer. The search for new chemotherapeutic compounds, with novel characteristics, in particular novel mechanisms of action, actively continues. Taxol, heralded as the most sifnigicant antineoplastic to emerge in this decade, is the result of such research. First isolated in 1971, the development of taxol has been extremely encumbered. Numerous hurdles were overcome, such as isolation from the bark of the Pacific Yew, insolubility and formulation difficulties, by the diligent efforts of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the United States. The following provides a brief overview of taxol, its history, current status and its future.
