Taxol vs. Paclitaxel — What's the Difference?

A taxane, C₄₇H₅₁NO₁₄, used to treat cancer; Taxol.

Paclitaxel (PTX), sold under the brand name Taxol among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

An anticancer drug that was first derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree and is used in the treatment of ovarian and breast cancer that has not responded to prior therapy.

(pharmaceutical drug) A taxane antineoplastic drug C₄₇H₅₁NO₁₄ originally isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew, Taxus brevifolia, but now typically derived as a semisynthetic product of the English yew; it interferes with microtubule function and inhibits cell division, and is used in the treatment of some cancers, especially those of the breast and ovary.