The generic name of Taxol is paclitaxel.

Taxol contains active ingredient paclitaxel, which is a form of chemotherapy medication for cancer known as a 'taxane.'

Inactive ingredients in Taxol infusion include polyoxyethylated castrol oil and dehydrated ethanol.

Taxol functions by inhibiting carcinogenic cells from dividing and multiplying. It destroys the cancer cells and inhibits the cancer from growing and spreading.

Taxol is used in the treatment of advanced stage ovarian cancer. It is administered in combination with cisplatin as first-line therapy.

Taxol is also used as adjuvant treatment of node-positive breast carcinoma given periodically to standard doxorubicin-containing combination chemotherapy.

Taxol is usually administered in the hospital as a three-hour intravenous infusion drip at two or three week intervals between treatments. The purpose of the treatment is to progressively shrink the cancer over repeated cycles of chemotherapy, allowing normal, healthy cells to recover during the interim phase.