Paclitaxel (Taxol): Mechanism of Action in Cancer Treatment

Question
How does paclitaxel or Taxol act on microtubules to help cure cancer? I have heard it is a natural drug, and have read a few things about it on various medical journals, but it hard to understand. Thanks for your help.

Answer
It is in fact a so called "natural drug" (I do not like the terminology, what is an unnatural drug? All drugs are produced according to natural laws regarless of in plants or in the laboratory or in a factory so there are no unnatural drugs!). It is produced by a fungus living in the bark of the yew tree on the West Coast of North America. It does indeed interfere with the structure and function of the cancer cells' microtubuli - very thin and small tubes inside these cells - and thereby also with the ability of these cells to divide and multiply. So like most anti cancer drugs it interferes with the ability of the cancer to grow. That is the important part of the description. The rest is just technicalities!


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