Pharmacological principles of brain tumor chemotherapy.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the belief that curative therapy will require both CCNS cytocidal drugs and appropriately timed CCS agents. Lipophilic drugs will remain our most valuable drugs unless new agents appear that have very high therapeutic indices and can be given by prolonged or intermittent infusion. The lipophilic drugs have the advantages of greater penetrability of tumor cells and preferential partitioning in lipid membranes and cellular structures. Potentially, combinations of differently acting CCNS agents should maximize DNA damage and prevent DNA repair. Infusions of CCS drugs for 3 to 4 days, following an interval of 6 to 14 days after the administration of CCNS agents, should result in maximum damage to proliferating tumor cells, preventing cell division for 1 week and contributing another 1 log cell kill to the therapy.