Summary
Paclitaxel has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Cancer would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Paclitaxel to Cancer: 1 is currently recruiting; 2 are active or not yet recruiting; 4 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 3 (NCT04222972). It plans or enrolled 223 participants. Registration activity spans 1998 to 2025. The literature layer holds 14 publications for this pair: 5 Cochrane reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 2 systematic reviews, 1 randomised controlled trial publication and 5 clinical trial publications. The dated items are from 2026. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Cancer ranks 1226 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Spontaneous regression is rare (<0.5% of cases); 5-year survival without treatment: <5% for advanced NSCLC; ~20% for stage I-II with surgery.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 74.0 (trials 24.0, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 1 recruiting, 2 active / not yet recruiting, 4 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 14 (5 Cochrane reviews, 5 clinical trial publications, 2 systematic reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 1 randomised controlled trial publication) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT04222972 | A Study of Pralsetinib Versus Standard of Care for First-Line Treatment of Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) 2020 | terminated | Phase 3 | 223 |
| NCT00019812 | Monoclonal Antibody Plus Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer That Overexpresses HER2 1999 | completed | Phase 2 | 55 |
| NCT01264328 | Study of the Combination of Panitumumab With Paclitaxel as First-line Treatment of Subjects With Head and Neck Cancer 2011 | completed | Phase 2 | 40 |
| NCT00003957 | Combination Chemotherapy Plus Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Relapsed Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma 1998 | completed | Phase 2 | 3 |
| NCT06965829 | The Effect of Neoadjuvant Chemoimmnotherapy Combined With Node Sparing Radiotherapy for cT3N+ EC 2025 | not yet recruiting | Phase 2 | 40 |
| NCT00724386 | Concomitant Chemoradiotherapy With Weekly Paclitaxel and Vinorelbine and Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (GCSF) Support in Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer 1999 | completed | Phase 1 | 26 |
| NCT06370754 | Newly Emerging Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment 2024 | not yet recruiting | PHASE1, PHASE2 | 117 |
| NCT07525869 | An Open-label Prospective Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Pegfilgrastim in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients Receiving AC Regimen Following Paclitaxel and Carboplatin as Neoadjuvant Therapy 2025 | recruiting | Not applicable | 40 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Targeting homologous recombination deficiency with intensified chemotherapy versus standard chemotherapy followed by olaparib in stage III breast cancer (SUBITO): an open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trialSeefat RL, Vliek SB, de Jong VMT et al. · The Lancet. Oncology · 2026 · PMID 42372741
- Clinical trial publication Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel (SYHX2011) in Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase III StudyZhang L, Wang J, Sun T et al. · Cancer communications (London, England) · 2026 · PMID 42368972
- Clinical trial publication Nab-paclitaxel plus S-1 induction chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer: a multicenter, open-label phase 2 studyCao Z, Qiu J, Luo W et al. · Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026 · PMID 42324245
- Clinical trial publication Prognostic associations between patient-reported outcomes and overall survival among patients with advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer: results from the RATIONALE-307 trialWang J, Yu X, Leaw S et al. · Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026 · PMID 42319531
- Clinical trial publication Integrating Metronomic Therapy With Standard Chemotherapy in Advanced Unresectable Head and Neck Cancer: A Randomized Trial Addressing Global Cancer Care Equity (METRO PLUS)Kapoor A, Gupta A, Sansar B et al. · JCO global oncology · 2026 · PMID 42308452
- Cochrane review Nab-paclitaxel or Paclitaxel Treatment for Relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Single-arm Meta-analysisKubo S, Somekawa K, Nagaoka S et al. · Anticancer research · 2026 · PMID 42373285
- Cochrane review A Scoping Review to Evaluate Different Treatments Used in Advanced Nonsmall-cell Lung Cancer in IndiaSemwal J, Juyal R, Vyas S et al. · Indian journal of public health · 2026 · PMID 42085074
- Cochrane review Systematic review and first meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine-cisplatin combined with paclitaxel in patients with advanced biliary tract cancerZhu G, Li S, Zhang Y et al. · European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026 · PMID 41920336
- Cochrane review Comparison of drug regimens for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer: a systematic review and network meta-analysisZhou J, Ye W, Ranarisoa SN et al. · Frontiers in immunology · 2026 · PMID 41822503
- Cochrane review Molecular targeted therapy in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of platinum-resistant/refractory ovarian cancer (PROC): a systematic review and network meta-analysisYing T, E S, Ying H · Annals of medicine · 2026 · PMID 41725538
- Meta-analysis Efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in locally advanced resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a network meta-analysis and real-world studySun M, Yang P, Qi L et al. · Frontiers in immunology · 2026 · PMID 41836437
- Randomized controlled trial Ivonescimab plus chemotherapy versus tislelizumab plus chemotherapy in advanced squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (HARMONi-6): interim overall survival analysis of a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial in ChinaLu S, Liu B, Luo Y et al. · Lancet (London, England) · 2026 · PMID 42218899
- Systematic review Dual TP53 mutations in ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma combined with squamous cell carcinoma: a case report and systematic literature reviewLi CL, Lu JP, Lan QX et al. · Journal of ovarian research · 2026 · PMID 41957787
- Systematic review Modulation of Oncogenic NOTCH Signaling in Highly Aggressive Malignancies by Targeting the γ-Secretase Complex: A Systematic ReviewMartínez-Gascueña P, Nueda ML, Baladrón V · Cells · 2026 · PMID 41827901
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Paclitaxel approved for Cancer?
Paclitaxel has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Cancer would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Cancer. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Paclitaxel in clinical trials for Cancer?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Paclitaxel to Cancer: 1 is currently recruiting; 2 are active or not yet recruiting; 4 have completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 3 (NCT04222972). It plans or enrolled 223 participants. Registration activity spans 1998 to 2025.
What does the evidence show for Paclitaxel in Cancer?
Paclitaxel has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Cancer. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.