[Clinical use of Amifostine (WR-2721) as a preparation protecting healthy tissues from the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy].

High doses of chemo- and radiotherapy, while theoretically more effective, are accompanied by severe toxicities and normal cells damage. This may have important implications for patients' management and can result in significant morbidity. Therefore, it is imperative to protect normal tissues from both the early and late damage caused by high doses of radiation and chemotherapy. Among the radioprotective agents synthetized during the last 30 years. Amifostine appeared to be one of the most promising. It was shown that this compound can protect normal cells from the toxic effects of ionizing radiation and chemotheraphy without affecting the efficacy of the therapy. Since 1986, initial trials with Amifostine in patients with diverse advanced neoplasms treated by chemotherapy and radiation therapy have been performed. Published data suggest that pretreatment with Amifostine significantly decreases hematologic, mucosal and renal toxicity as well as the frequency of neuropathy. Also, significant reduction in the frequency of hospitalization, mean hospital stay, and the number of days on antibiotics was observed after application of Amifostine.