Coordination complexes of platinum as antitumor agents

Rosenberg and VanCamp first reported the bacteriostatic and antitumor properties of certain platinum coordination compounds. This pioneering work has led to the synthesis and testing of a large number of related platinum products and the clinical use of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum (II). This drug has proven very efficacious against a wide variety of mouse tumors when employed as the sole chemotherapeutic agent and has also been combined successfully with other antitumor agents, such as cyclophosphamide and cytosine arabinsoide. Unfortunately, cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum (II) has a low therapeutic index with renal toxicity being the principal limitation of its use. This has prompted the synthesis and testing of many related platinum compounds, of which cis-dichlorobiscyclopentylamine-platinum (II) and the "platinum blues" appear most promising. Experience in the synthesis, purification, and testing of such products will be discussed together with identification of outstanding unsolved problems in this area.