Adriamycin—an antitumor antibiotic in the treatment of neoplastic diseases

Abstract

Adriamycin was given to 234 patients with leukemia and other types of neoplastic diseases. In children with acute leukemia previously treated, adriamycin produced complete remissions (12%) and good partial remissions (26%). Tumor regressions were seen in 60% of the patients with solid tumors. These included lymphoma, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, Ewing's sarcoma, Wilms' tumor, ovarian tumor, hepatoma, embryonal carcinoma, malignant teratoma, and retinoblastoma. The therapeutic responses in adults have been less consistent and were confined to lymphomas and soft tissue sarcomas. The dose in children was 0.5 mg/kg daily to a total of 2-4 mg/kg per course. In adults, the single dose was 0.4 mg/kg to a total of about 2.5 mg/kg in 10 days. Adriamycin at half the dose of daunomycin produced comparable toxicities, except for earlier and more frequent oral ulcers and alopecia. Varying degrees of transient electrocardiographic changes have been seen in children. Adriamycin may have contributed to cardiac failure and death in one child, who had recurrent pulmonary metastases.