Common Chemotherapy Drug Can Trigger Fatal Allergic Reactions

A chemotherapy drug that is supposed to help save cancer patients' lives, instead resulted in life-threatening and sometimes fatal allergic reactions. A new study identified 287 hypersensitivity reactions and 109 deaths in patients who received Cremophor-based paclitaxel, a solvent-administered chemotherapy. Two patients who died from an allergic reaction had highly curable early-stage breast cancer. The allergic reactions are believed to be caused by the solvent, and the actual number of deaths is likely higher.

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