New Drugs for Leukemia and Tumors

The document reviews the efficacy and toxicity of new drugs for treating leukemias, lymphomas, and tumors, focusing on vincaleukoblastine, cyclophosphamide, and uracil-mustard. Vincaleukoblastine showed promise in experimental settings but had severe toxic effects in clinical trials, with partial improvement in leukemia and lymphoma patients but limited success in tumor patients. Warwick et al. treated 22 patients with vincaleukoblastine, Hodes et al. treated 27 cases, mostly leukemia, and Hertz et al. treated 8 women with metastatic choriocarcinoma, all noting some positive effects but also significant toxicity. Cyclophosphamide and uracil-mustard, on the other hand, showed potential in treating blood diseases with fewer side effects and the possibility of oral administration. Matthias et al. reported improvement in 49% of 45 patients with cyclophosphamide, while Shanbrom et al. found uracil-mustard effective in 130 cases of chronic leukemias and lymphomas. These drugs offer new treatment avenues but require more research to enhance their efficacy and minimize adverse effects.