carubicin and Melanoma

The anticancer activity of carminomycin was investigated in a human tumor cloning assay. No efficacy could be identified in the WiDr and the MCF7 cell lines which were highly responsive to doxorubicin. In addition, drug testing experiments were carried out in samples of various malignancies freshly obtained from 86 patients of whom 54 had not received prior anthracyclines. A reduction in the number of tumor colony forming units by 50% or more was seen in 1/26 breast cancers, 1/22 ovarian cancers and 1/7 melanomas. Cross-resistance studies indicated that eight tumors were responsive to doxorubicin only and one to carminomycin only whereas two were sensitive to both and 73 were resistant to both. This in vitro Phase II study corroborates the disappointing clinical results achieved with carminomycin.

Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Carubicin; Colony-Forming Units Assay; Daunorubicin; Doxorubicin; Drug Evaluation; Female; Humans; Melanoma; Ovarian Neoplasms; Tumor Stem Cell Assay

The paper reports on a trial in which nitrosomethylurea (NMU) was compared with CCNU both in combination with vincristine and dactinomycin or the same combination with DTIC in the treatment of disseminated skin melanoma. The long-term results were statistically better in the groups with NMU than in that with CCNU while there was no statistical difference regarding the complete regression. A second trial compared NMU with CCNU in the treatment of small cell carcinoma in a regimen of combined chemo-radiotherapy. No statistical difference was to be noticed in regard to objective response and median live duration. In comparison with regimens including adriamycin the study showed an equal effectiveness of the two drugs. A third part deals with carminomycin therapy in metastatic soft tissue sarcomas and with the preventive role of postoperative 5-fluorouracil in gastric carcinoma and colo-rectal cancer.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Carcinoma, Small Cell; Carubicin; Dacarbazine; Dactinomycin; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Lomustine; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Melanoma; Methylnitrosourea; Neoplasms; Sarcoma; Skin Neoplasms; Soft Tissue Neoplasms; Vincristine

The antiblastomic activity of the carminomycin complex components was studied with respect to 8 strains of transplantable tumors of mice: lymphosarcoma L10-1, prestomach cancer OZh-5, sarcoma 180, lymphoid leucosis L 1210, lung bronchogenic cancer RL, lymphodenosis NK/LI, Ehrlich carcinoma and Garding-Passy melanoma. It was shown that components I, II and III possessed almost the same high antiblastomic activity and the same optimal administration schemes should be used for them. The scheme consisted of two-fold administration of the drug at intervals of 96-120 hours. Component I had broader therapeutic ranges and was more active against the lung bronchogenic cancer as compared to component II. All 3 components had no selective antiblastomic effect on the ascitic form of Ehrlich carcinoma. A comparative study of the component toxicity and pharmacology is required for final conclusion as to the recommendation of one of the components for clinical trials.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic; Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor; Carubicin; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Lethal Dose 50; Leukemia L1210; Lung Neoplasms; Lymphoma; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Melanoma; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred DBA; Neoplasms, Experimental; Sarcoma 180; Time Factors

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Carubicin; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; Daunorubicin; Doxorubicin; Drug Resistance; Haplorhini; Leukemia L1210; Leukemia, Experimental; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Melanoma; Mice; Neoplasm Transplantation; Transplantation, Homologous

A dihydro derivative of karminomycin was prepared using chemical reduction with potassium boron hydride. When dihydrokarminomycin was administered intravenously to healthy albino mice in a single dose it practically showed the same toxicity as karminomycin. However, unlike the latter dihydrokarminomycin induced the death of the animals at later periods of time. Studies on mice with transplantable tumours showed high antitumor activity of dihydrokarminomycin against lymphosarcoma L10-1, sarcoma 180, Garding-Passy melanoma, lymphoid leukosis L-1210 and lymphocytal leukosis P-388. In treatment of the mice with leukosis L-1210 and Garding-Passy melanoma dihydrokapminomycin was much inferior by its efficiency than karminomycin.

Topics: Animals; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Carubicin; Lethal Dose 50; Leukemia, Experimental; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Male; Melanoma; Mice; Neoplasm Transplantation; Neoplasms, Experimental; Sarcoma 180