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Clinical studies were carried out in a group of 71 cancer patients to evaluate the effects of intravenous infusion of human recombinant interleukin-1-beta (betaleukin) (I and II phases). It was shown that daily single doses of 10-20 ng/kg body, for 5 days, markedly stimulated leukopoiesis (granulocytopoiesis) in toxic (grade II-IV) leukopenia which hampered combination chemotherapy. A protective effect on leukopoiesis (granulocy-topoiesis) was recorded in cases of moderate leukopenia when chemotherapy was continued. Such side-effects as stage I-III hyperthermia (13.5%) or their combination (50.0%) were effectively managed with paracetamol and antihistamines administration without causing suspension of the drug.

The results of Sehydrin (Hydrazine Sulfate, HS) treatment of 740 patients with the advanced, recurrent or metastatic solid tumours of various localizations or malignant lymphomas, for whom all the methods of specific treatment (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy) had been exhausted are presented in this work. The objective response, symptomatic therapeutic effects and toxicity were estimated. Clinically significant objective responses were registered in patients with the soft tissue sarcomas, including neuroblastomas, and paradoxically--in such semimalignant tumours as desmoids. Although the objective response in patients with the lung cancer (90%--non-small cell) was only 4%, stabilization of long duration was registered in 22% of cases connected with the impressive relief of heavy common symptoms in 38.5% of the treated patients. Such a subjective response was established in 46.6% of all the 740 cases. The drug given per os was well tolerated by patients in primary and subsequent courses and did not induce myelosuppression or other significant side effects. On the basis of observations available, Sehydrin may be assessed as an alternative drug for the treatment and symptomatic therapy of patients with some advanced solid tumours and malignant lymphomas at a disease stage when the other methods of treatment can not be used. A possible mechanism of antitumour and symptomatic action is being discussed.

The results of segidrin administration to 46 patients with malignant and 6 patients with benign tumors of the brain are presented. Pronounced therapeutic effect for the whole group was 63.5% and 73%, if partial regression of neurologic symptoms in the entire brain and separate foci is considered. These indexes for patients with malignant tumors only were 61 and 71.7%, respectively. Since segidrin has virtually no significant untoward side-effects, it is considered a most safe medicine for managing brain tumors. It is recommended in cases of inoperable tumor and for post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy with a view to extending the patient's survival time and improving the quality of life.

The paper discusses results of a cooperative study of effectiveness of hydrazine sulfate therapy in 740 patients with primary advanced, recurrent and metastatic solid tumors and malignant lymphomas who had failed all other treatment modalities. Both objective response and symptomatic effect were assessed. Objective response was observed in neuroblastoma, recurrent desmoid, Hodgkin's disease, lung cancer, fibrosarcoma and other tumors. Since hydrazine sulfate provided relief of a wide spectrum of cancer symptoms, it may be recommended for patients with end-stage cancer.

A total of 203 out patients with disseminated cancer of the mammary glands subjected to chemotherapy were followed up. Of these, 44 patients were treated according to the CMFVP program, 66 were subjected to monochemotherapy with carminomycin, 42 were treated with combinations of carminomycin and dibromdulcytol, 14 patients received monochemotherapy with adriamycin and 37 polychemotherapy according to the scheme of fluorouracil + adriamycin + cyclophosphamide. In addition to the early-demonstrated efficacy of adriamycin and the Cooper scheme, the comparative estimation of the treatment programs showed that carminomycin, a new antitumor antibiotic made in the USSR, had an obvious activity when used alone or in combination with dibromdulcytol, an alkylating agent, in the treatment of primary extended forms, relapses and metastases of mammary tumors. The data indicate that wide use of carminomycin which is comparatively low toxic is advisable in the treatment of disseminated cancer of the mammary gland.

Combined chemotherapy (prospidin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisolone) (PCVP) was given to 32 patients with recurrent generalized forms of Hodgkin's disease. Remission was reliably established in 75% of patients; its mean duration was 2.8 months. 15 patients received repeated courses of complex chemotherapy, including prospidin; it proved effective in 12 of them. Mean duration of remission was 2.7 months. Toxic side--effects were insignificant and subsided quickly. The results of the study point to the effectiveness of PCVP scheme application in patients with recurrent generalized forms of Hodgkin's disease.

Carminomycin chemotherapy of the patients with malignant tumors is often complicated with cardiopathy which is sometimes assymptomic and registered only electrocardiographycally. Chemotherapy on the background of reparative regeneration stimulators from the series of synthetic pyrrimidine derivatives, such as methyluracyl for oral use and a soluble salt of methyluracyl for parenteral administration significantly decreased the rate of the cardiotoxic complications and promoted a decrease in their level. The use of methyluracyl and its soluble salt did not decrease the therapeutic effect of carminomycin. Methyluracyl and its soluble salt may be recommended for prophylaxis of cardiotoxic complications in chemotherapy of malignant tumors with carminomycin.

A more than 50% regression of tumor was observed in 19% of 64 patients treated with carminomycin for advanced primary breast cancer, its recurrences and metastases. A clinically-significant effect of treatment was recorded in 42%, while tumor process was arrested for at least 3-4 months in 37% of cases. The index of more than 50% regression of tumor rose to 28% in a group of 27 patients, following repeated courses of the drug. Only a slight toxic side--effect was observed, repeated courses included. Moderate leukopenia and a slight cardiotoxic effect were registered in 17%; phlebitis--in 12%. Carminomycin treatment should be recommended for advanced primary breast cancer, its recurrences an metastases, when other chemotherapeutic means fail to stop tumor process.

According to the authors' data the total 5 years' survival among 444 cases, subjected to radical operations for malignant tumors of the soft tissues, constituted 51.6% and proved to be practically the same both in primary and recurrent tumors. The improvement of the 5 years' results of the combined treatment (surgery and radiotherapy) of soft tissue sarcoma was noted, even when taking into account the stage of the disease and cellular differentiation of the tumor.

An experience with vinblastine and vincristine, used separately and together for treatment of 69 patients with lymphogranulomatosis, stage III and IV, enabled the author to draw the conclusion as to the rationality of the combination therapy with these cytostatics of nearly similar chemical structure and actively influencing the lymphogranulomatous tissue. Of special interest is the efficacy of using vinblastine in combination with vincristine in patients showing lymphogranulomatous lesions of the lung, especially in case of destructive changes, in comparatively low toxic affects of a combination of these substances.

Bleomycetin was applied to the treatment of 68 patients with common forms of malignant tumors. The objective therapeutic effect was observed in 21 patients (31 per cent). The frequency of the favourable therapeutic effects was the most significant in the group of patients with generalized forms of lymphogranulomatosis: objective remissions for 1 to 4 months and stabilization of the tumor process were attained in 12 (41 per cent) and 8 out of 29 patients, respectively, in 9 patients (31 per cent) treated with bleomycetin progression of the underlying disease was recorded. A less pronounced therapeutic effect (33 per cent of the remissions) was recorded in the patients with nonlymphogranulomatous lymphomas. The use of bleomycetin in 48 out of 68 patients was complicated by certain adverse reactions. Intravenous infusions of bleomycetin in a dose of 10-15 mg twice a week (the total dose up to 125 mg) may be recommended as the initial therapeutic regimen in the oncological practice. The trials have showed that bleomycetin made in the USSR has a sufficiently pronounced activity against lymphogranulomatosis and nonlymphogranulomatous lymphomas. In this respect it is not inferior to the bleomycin analog made in Japan.