Novel camptothecin derivatives.

Efforts continue to be made in the field of oncology to find new and effective chemotherapeutic agents against cancer. From these efforts the camptothecins have emerged as a promising group of agents. Camptothecin, first discovered in 1958, was found to be an effective anti-chemotherapeutic agent, but the toxicities were too great to be used in a clinical setting. Derivatives of the original camptothecin molecule have been created by modifying one or more rings in an effort to improve the pharmacokinetics and toxicity profiles of the parent compound. This article reviews both the in vivo and in vitro characteristics of these novel agents.