Epiphora (excessive tearing) and other ocular manifestations related to weekly docetaxel: underestimated dose-limiting toxicity.

Purpose: Epiphora due to canalicular stenosis is a recently described side effect of weekly docetaxel. We prospectively evaluated the incidence of this complication and other ocular manifestations in patients treated at our medical center.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-one consecutive patients (breast cancer: 14; metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: 6; metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: 1) (female/male: 14/7; age range: 34-78 yr) were treated with weekly docetaxel (35 mg/m2/wk iv for 6 wk, cycles repeated every 49 d).