title: New drugs in the treatment of acute and chronic leukaemia: current role of mAMSA.
abstract: Several new cytostatic drugs have entered clinical Phase I-II studies for treatment of leukemia: most promising are pyrimidine analogues such as 5-Azacytosine arabinoside, 5-Aza-2-deoxycytidine, 5-Azacytidine, cyclocytidine, and 2'-2'-difluorodeoxycytidine. They act on different biochemical levels towards DNA-synthesis. Fludarabine is a purin analogue and seems very active in treating CLL. Tiazofurin is an antimetabolite counter-acting nicotinic acid with most promising activity in CML blast crisis. Other substances include deoxycoformycin, an adenosine analogue for treatment of T-cell neoplasias, 1, 25-dihydroxy vitamin D 3 as differentiation inducer, and homoharringtonine, an alkylating agent widely used for treating de novo AML in China. New anthracyclines are THP-adriamycin, fluoroadriamycin, and 4-demethoxydaunorubicin. Amsacrine (mAMSA) finally, is a synthetic aminoacridine with DNA-intercalating properties. The intact acridine ring appears essential for antitumor activity. The plasma clearance of both total amsacrine and unchanged parent species is biphasic. There is a considerable influence of hepatic and renal impairment on plasma clearance. Clinical toxicities include marked myelosuppression, gastrointestinal symptomes, phlebitis, mucocutaneous lesions, occasionally alopecia and neurotoxities. It is a very active drug, particularly in treating AML. Studies using mAMSA alone or in combination revealed comparable results to the anthracyclines. The E.O.R.T.C. Leukemia Cooperative Group has used successfully mAMSA in several trials: relapsed and refractory AML, intensive maintenance treatment during first remission in AML, and, still on-going, during intensive consolidation randomized against BMT in AML-patients under the age of 45 years, and randomized against standard consolidation between the age of 45 and 60 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik III, University of Munich, FRG.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jehn
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000677:Amsacrine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D000677:Amsacrine