Nab-Paclitaxel in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Defining the Best Patient Profile

Around 40% of patients with breast cancer will present with a recurrence of the disease. Chemotherapy is recommended for patients with recurrent hormone-independent or hormone-refractory breast cancer and almost all patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) receive chemotherapy during their medical history. Nanoparticle albuminbound (nab)-paclitaxel is a solvent-free, 130-nanometer particle formulation of paclitaxel. Nab-paclitaxel can be administered to all patients for whom the treatment choice is a taxane. In this review, 6 patient profiles for which nabpaclitaxel may be particularly useful are described and analyzed: (i) as first-line treatment of MBC, (ii) as second-line treatment of MBC after oral chemotherapy, (iii) after a standard taxane, (iv) as third-line treatment after a standard taxane and oral chemotherapy, (v) for patients with HER2-positive MBC and (vi) for patients with intolerance to standard taxanes. Nab-paclitaxel is a rational treatment choice for patients with MBC in different settings, as well as for those with prior exposure to a standard taxane.