Cephalotaxine esters: Antileukemic advance or therapeutic failure?

Clinical trails conducted in the People's Republic of China and the United States of the antileukemic efficacy of the cephalotaxine esters are reviewed. Harringtonine has been incorporated into combination regimens for the treatment of newly diagnosed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) in China and activity with cephalotaxine ester has also been noted in chronic myelogenous leukemia.While the invesatment tigational agent homoharringtonine has shown some activity in the United states has wanted because of toxicity and inconvenient schedules than have U.S. studies and have been associated with less toxicity. These trails provide new information that may lead to further investigations of the cephalotaxine esters in the United States. [J Natl Cancer Inst 1988;80:1095-1103].