[Carcinogenicity of anticancer agents]

Chemotherapeutic treatment for cancer has been successful in prolonging survival but it has also been demonstrated that survivors of cancer patients who had received chemotherapy with alkylating agents have an increased risk of second malignancies, mostly acute non-lymphatic leukemia. The purpose of this paper is to show practical problems pertaining to the development and clinical use of anticancer agents in terms of prevention of second cancers.