Carminomycin. A new anthracycline analog in the treatment of advanced breast cancer.

Twenty-two patients who had metastatic breast cancer previously treated with combination chemotherapy, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) or CMF with vincristine and prednisone, were treated with Carminomycin (carubicin) 20 mg/m2 body surface area by intravenous bolus injection once every 3 weeks. Of 21 evaluable patients, 1 patient achieved complete remission, 5 patients achieved partial responses, and 11 remained stable. Cases of acute drug toxicity included myelosuppression, phlebitis, and gastrointestinal symptoms; there were four cases of mild alopecia, which consisted of thinning of the scalp hair. There were three cases of biopsy-proven cardiomyopathy, contrary to previous reports from the United Soviet Socialist Republic, which indicated that this drug was relatively free of cardiotoxicity. The median duration of remission for responders was 23 weeks. It is believed that Carminomycin has significant activity against metastatic breast cancer and, because its side effects, especially nausea, vomiting, and alopecia, were considerably milder than those experienced with Adriamycin, further investigation of this drug is warranted.