Cancer Drug Relieves Severe Psoriasis

Injections of a gel-like formulation of Taxol — usually used to treat cancer — may be effective for severe psoriasis, according to a National Cancer Institute study.

Taxol has anti-inflammatory properties, and the preparation used in this study is thought to cause fewer allergic reactions than regular Taxol, explain the authors of a report in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Dr. Andrew Blauvelt and colleagues from the NCI in Bethesda, Maryland, tested Taxol in a dozen patients with severe psoriasis, at doses of well below those known to cause bone marrow suppression in cancer patients. The nine participants who completed treatment showed significant improvement, the researchers report, although the improvement declined somewhat by four weeks after the last infusion. Two patients had allergic reactions that prevented them continuing, but there was no evidence in any of the patients of bone marrow suppression. Taxol-like compounds “are potentially useful for the treatment of psoriasis,” Blauvelt told Reuters Health. He explained that they likely work on psoriasis because they inhibit inflammation, blood-vessel formation, and the excess proliferation of cells. However, there are currently no on-going studies using Taxol for psoriasis, Blauvelt cautioned. “It is too experimental at this point to treat severe psoriasis with Taxol outside of a clinical study.” (Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology: Reuters Health News: April 2004.)