At Hotze Runkle PLLC, we know the impact Taxotere can have on someone who’s undergoing chemotherapy. You thought the drug would treat your cancer without any severe side effects. Unfortunately, its adverse reactions can interfere with your daily routine. After addressing one medical issue, you discovered a new, ongoing medical issue.
After performing various studies on Taxotere and its effects on cancer patients and survivors, researchers found that unusual symptoms can develop during chemo. Eye-watering is the first such symptom patients notice during their treatment regimen. Whether they took the drug once a week, every two weeks, or every three weeks, they experienced the same irritating side effect.
Sanofi-Aventis manufactured Taxotere to treat different types of cancer, such as breast cancer, stomach cancer, head cancer, neck cancer, and prostate cancer. Lawsuits filed against the pharmaceutical company state that they were aware of the potential risks but failed to disclose them on warning labels. Hotze Runkle PLLC could represent you if you developed eye-watering or other adverse side effects from Taxotere chemo. Take our quiz to find out if you qualify.
What Symptoms Does Taxotere Cause?
Difficult side effects are normal during chemotherapy. Unfortunately, patients discover unusual excessive eye-watering during their Taxotere chemotherapy at a Detroit provider like Karmanos Cancer Institute. This medical condition is called epiphora.
Epiphora is the result of inflammation and blockages within the canaliculus, a vital eye structure. During normal functioning, tears drain into tiny holes in the corners of the eyes, through the canaliculus, and into the nasal cavity. When the canaliculus becomes obstructed due to chronic inflammation, the tears can’t funnel properly and are released by blinking.
Without early intervention and treatment, epiphora can lead to Canalicular Stenosis, a permanent medical condition. Common symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Excessive eye-watering
- Blurred or clouded vision
- Light sensitivity
- Chronic eye infections
- Dry eyes
- Eyelid swelling
Many cancer patients don’t realize the symptoms they’re experiencing aren’t normal. They assume it’s part of their Taxotere regimen and that once they complete treatment, the symptoms will go away. Unfortunately, that results in cases of Canalicular Stenosis that progress past the point of successful treatment. If you notice any of the symptoms listed above, notify your oncologist immediately and talk to an ophthalmologist.
The Link Between Tears and Taxotere
Medical researchers realized that the interaction between Taxotere and a patient’s tears could be the reason for adverse side effects. When oncologists administer the drug to patients, secretions travel through the patient’s body and come in direct contact with bodily fluids, such as tears—their interaction results in chronic inflammation of the canaliculus.
Since chronic inflammation creates obstructions within the canaliculus, tears have nowhere else to go. Ongoing Taxotere chemo and contact between the drug’s secretions and tears create a buildup within the vital eye structure, resulting in an infection. If the infection progresses, the canaliculus can close.
Partial or complete closure is permanent. Once that happens, nothing can reverse it. That’s why early medical intervention is crucial at the first sign of epiphora or Canalicular Stenosis. There’s no cure for the ocular condition, and treatment options are expensive and invasive.
Possible Treatments for Canalicular Stenosis Symptoms
In its early stages, a doctor can treat the symptoms of Canalicular Stenosis. If it hasn’t progressed to the point where the canaliculus closed entirely, an ophthalmologist will monitor your health and prevent it from worsening. They will provide eye drops to manage your eye-watering and a topical steroid to resolve any inflammation.
If one or both canaliculi close, the only option for treating the symptoms of Canalicular Stenosis is dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). During DCR, the surgeon uses adjacent structures within the ocular and nasal cavities to create a new passageway for tears to travel. Some patients might require a stent that redirects tears around the canaliculus into the nasal cavity.
When performed successfully, the procedures can manage symptoms and allow you to resume your daily routine. However, there are some potential dangers to the procedure that could leave you with worse symptoms, such as:
- Uncontrollable bleeding
- Further eye infections
- Possible blindness from tissue damage
- Permanent scars
- Stent rejection or migration
If the damage to the canaliculus is too advanced to perform DCR, another treatment option is CDCR. Much like DCR, the goal of conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy is to funnel tears around the canaliculus. Doctors typically perform this procedure when one or both canaliculi close entirely, or there aren’t viable structures that can form a passageway.
During CDCR, the surgeon places a Jones tube, a tiny glass tube, where the canaliculus used to be. That can facilitate the proper flow of tears from the tear ducts into the nasal cavity. It’s just as invasive as DCR and comes with the same potential risks. Your doctor can determine if you’re a candidate for these treatment options.
Should I Stop Chemotherapy if I’m Diagnosed with Canalicular Stenosis?
You can continue Detroit-area chemo treatment at a qualified provider like Henry Ford Cancer Institute, even if your doctor diagnoses you with Canalicular Stenosis. At the first sign of symptoms, let your oncologist know and schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist. Both doctors should monitor your symptoms and attempt to prevent them from worsening. You may need a temporary stent to aid in the flow of your tears and stop further damage to the canaliculus.
If your excessive eye-watering and other symptoms started during Taxotere treatment, you might need to consider using a different chemo drug. Your oncologist will determine the best alternative for your cancer type and stage. During the new regimen, you should keep your doctor informed of your symptoms and if new ones develop.
Who’s Responsible for the Harm Caused by Taxotere?
You might think your doctor is liable for your Canalicular Stenosis symptoms. However, most physicians are completely unaware of the potential hazards of Taxotere. Your doctor probably didn’t know that the chemo drug they were using could result in such a serious adverse reaction in their patients.
If you want to hold someone accountable and pursue financial compensation for the suffering you endured, you can file a lawsuit against the drug manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis. All companies are supposed to follow specific procedures when manufacturing a product.
If there are risks associated with using their product, they must provide adequate warning labels. Sanofi failed to warn consumers about the dangers of their drug. Despite potential harm, they sold their product and didn’t disclose the symptoms of Canalicular Stenosis.
Sanofi’s actions are a form of negligence. Negligence is the failure of one party to exercise reasonable care to prevent injury to another. There are five elements of negligence your lawyer must prove if you sue Sanofi for a monetary award:
- Duty: Sanofi owed you a duty of care to prevent you from harm;
- Breach of duty: They breached their duty;
- Cause in fact: If it wasn’t for Sanofi’s failure to warn about Taxotere’s side effects, you wouldn’t have developed Canalicular Stenosis;
- Proximate cause: Their actions were the direct cause of your symptoms; and
- Damages: You incurred damages due to your diagnosis.
The deadline for filing a lawsuit is known as a statute of limitations. In Michigan, the statute of limitations is three years. That means you only have three years from the date of your injury to sue Sanofi if you want to seek compensation for your damages.
What Are Damages?
Damages are losses an injured party incurs because of another party’s negligence. Two main types of damages compensate victims for their expenses and suffering.
Economic damages are expenses, such as:
- Medical bills
- Out of pocket expenses
- Lost wages
Non-economic damages are intangible losses, such as:
- Physical impairment, disfigurement, or disability
- Pain and suffering
- Mental or emotional trauma
- Loss of companionship
Since non-economic damages don’t have a monetary value, various other factors determine how much money is adequate as compensation. Those factors include:
- Type of symptoms and the severity
- Total economic damages
- Duration of recovery
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Lost income due to inability to work
- Necessary medical treatment in the future
- Surgery performed
- Impact of symptoms on daily life
- Availability of medical evidence
Hotze Runkle PLLC Will Fight for Your Rights
Our Detroit eye-watering lawsuit attorneys understand what you’re going through. The symptoms you’re experiencing should never have developed. You trusted Taxotere to treat your cancer without causing serious problems. Their negligence caused you to suffer a permanent medical condition.
Sanofi was negligent in their actions and should suffer the consequences. You have the right to hold them accountable and seek the maximum compensation available. You’re entitled to damages, and we’re ready to help you get them.
Our Detroit eye-watering lawsuit attorneys have the experience and resources to bring your case to court and fight against the opposing party. We’ll use aggressive tactics and relevant evidence to persuade a jury that you deserve a financial settlement or judgment. You can depend on Hotze Runkle PLLC to remain by your side throughout your entire case.
If you’re currently treating cancer with Taxotere or have finished your chemo regimen and have eye-watering or other symptoms, you might qualify for a Taxotere lawsuit. To find out if you’re eligible, take our Taxotere Case Evaluation Quiz.