Evaluation of oral aclarubicin treatment for tumors of the gastrointestinal track.

Aclarubicin (ACR), a drug useful for the treatment not only of tumors of the hematopoietic system but also of those of the gastrointestinal tract, has been administered invariably by the intravenous route. We attempted oral administration of ACR to increase its specificity in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. Oral administration resulted in a much higher intratumor concentration but lower peripheral blood cell or bone marrow cell concentration of the drug as compared with intravenous administration. The reduced peripheral cell inhibition and bone marrow suppression permits the administration of the drug in higher doses, and the absence of the drug in the plasma suggests a reduced likelihood of myocardial cell injury and hepatocyte impairment. These favorable findings are considered to warrant early clinical trial of the treatment.