Phase II clinical evaluation of dihydroxyanthracenedione in patients with advanced lung cancer.

A phase II clinical study of dihydroxyanthracenedione ( DHAD ) was conducted in 50 patients with advanced lung cancers. DHAD was administered intravenously on a 5-day schedule repeated every 4 weeks. Most patients had adenocarcinoma (46%), and had received previous chemotherapy (66%) and radiation therapy (50%). Among 41 evaluable patients, there were four partial remissions, eight disease stabilizations and 29 disease progressions. Remissions were more common among previously untreated patients (20% vs. 4%), particularly in patients with adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinomas of whom 3/10 (30%) responded. Responses lasted 9+, 9, 7, and 3 months, respectively. Cardiac toxicity was not observed. Other toxicities were tolerable. DHAD is a potentially useful agent for the therapy of adenocarcinoma and large cell lung cancers.