Taxanes were developed as third-generation anticancer agents following methotrexate and adriamycin, two major chemotherapeutic agents for breast cancer. These agents have been studied to confirm antitumor effects in anthracycline-resistant patients and patients with liver metastasis. In this study, we examined the usefulness of taxanes, especially docetaxel, in chemotherapy for breast cancer by reviewing results in Japan and other countries. In a late phase II clinical study in Japan, the administration of 60 mg/m(2) /hr/3-4w of docetaxel (DOC) reduced tumor size in 50.4% of patients. In 6% of these patients, complete response (CR) was achieved. The duration of response was 14.7 weeks. Thirty-five percent of 26 primary adriamycin(ADM)-resistant patients responded to DOC treatment (CR:4.0%).