Phase II evaluation of aclacinomycin-A in patients with adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma of the lung.

Aclacinomycin-A (ACLA-A), the new anthracycline antibiotic that produces substantially less cardiotoxicity relative to doxorubicin, was evaluated in a phase II trial for advanced large cell and adenocarcinoma of the lung patients. Twenty-three patients with measurable disease were entered into the trial and received ACLA-A in doses of a weekly infusion of 65 mg/m2 and 85 mg/m2. Eighteen patients were evaluable for response and toxicity. Two patients were evaluable for toxicity only, one died before completion of a full course of therapy, and two did not receive the drug. There were no complete or partial remissions in this study. Three patients had disease stabilization for a median of 10 weeks (range 6-17). Toxicity was mainly hematologic. Nausea and vomiting were moderate. ACLA-A, in the dose schedules used, appears to have no activity in large cell and adenocarcinoma of the lung.