The Division of Cancer Treatment of The National Cancer Institute in its drug development function sponsors clinical studies of new investigational agents. Currently about 100 new investigational anticancer drugs at various phases of clinical testing are under evaluation. Last year our review covered the organic synthetic agents and perticularly the antimetabolites such as fludarabine and fazaribine. This year, we have focused our presentation on the natural products, corresponding to the emphasis and attention paid to this class of agents by The National Cancer Institute. Among promising anticancer durgs currently in phase I clinical studies are 4-ipomeanol and two camptothecin analogues, topotecan developed at the Smith Kline and French Laboratories in the United States and comptothecin 11 developed in Japan. Two investigational drugs under clinical evaluation in phase II studies, acivicin and taxol have demonstrated promising activity either against naturally resistant tumors (acivicin in primary brain tumors) or against wide spectrum of neoplastic diseases, including those resistant to previous chemotherapy (taxol) and are headed for phase III clinical evaluation. The origin, structure, structure activity relationship, mode o faction, experimental antitumor activity, preclinical toxicity, preclinical and clinical pharmacokinetics as well as update on the clinical evaluation of each compound have been reviewed and discussed from the clinical perspectives.
New anticancer drugs under clinical evaluation by the national cancer institute
