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Neocarzinostatin is a new anticancer drug developed by Japanese investigators. In order to delineate the potential usefulness of this drug, we have reviewed the preclinical data and summarized the Japanese clinical data on 462 patients. The bulk of these patients had carcinoma of the stomach or pancreas and acute leukemia. Neocarzinostatin was administered intravenously in a daily dose of 2-3 mg for five to 15 day periods. Significant antitumor activity was observed in acute leukemia. A few responses were also reported in pancreatic adenocarcinoma, but the drug was inactive against gastric carcinoma. The side effects observed included nausea, vomiting, myelosuppression, fever, and occasional hypersensitivity reactions. The Investigational Drug Branch of the National Cancer Institute has recently sponsored an investigational new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration, and phase I studies are expected to begin soon in the United States.
Legha et al. (2009) studied this question.