taxane

n any of a group of cytotoxic drug formerly extracted from a species of yew tree (Taxus) but now synthesized or produced by biotechnological methods. These drugs interact with tubulin, a protein involved in cell division, and have been found to exercise control on the growth of certain cancers. Taxanes include docetaxel (Taxotere), used for treating advanced breast cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer, and paclitaxel .