The CancerWeb Report, What's New In Cancer: February, 1997
Prostate Cancer

• Potential new drugs for prostate cancer - The February, 1997 issue of Clinical Cancer Research had two articles describing early work in animals on two new drugs for prostate cancer. One of these, 9-aminocamptothecin (9-AC), is a relative of camptothecin, a drug occurring naturally in a tree that was tried clinically some years ago, but except for some specific uses, such as local treatment of bladder cancer, was abandoned. Researchers at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, tested 9-AC in human cancer cells and in mice carrying a human prostate cancer and found it had a high level of activity and low toxicity (de Souza, Clin Cancer Res 3:287, 1997). Another potential prostate cancer drug, flavopyridol, was studied by German researchers at the University of Freiburg. This compound also showed strong antiprostate cancer activity both in isolated cells and in mice with tumors; it also showed some activity against melanomas (Drees, Clin Cancer Res 3:273).

  Editor's Comment: - Although in general CancerWeb focuses on clinical trials and treatments now being used for cancer, we do include news of potential new drugs and approaches that might be significant in future. These two new chemicals show above average promise.