G. MATHE and R. K. OLDHAM'~ Institut de Cancerologie et d'Immunogem!tique, Hopital Paul Brousse, Villejuif Since the last war, cancer chemotherapy has been the object of very intensive and expensive research. Nevertheless, its development has been very slow, and its ultimate potential is today somewhat in doubt. In doubt because it does not cure any cancer patients except a) females carrying placental choriocarcinoma, a semi-allogenic tumor, in which case, cure may be in­ fluenced by immune rejection, and b) children suffering from Burkitt's tumor, where the probable reason for the cure is that all the neoplastic cells are in the cycle, which is a unique condition among all the human tumor varieties. Whether the long term survivors in acute leukemia, lymphomas, certain sarcomas and certain testicular tumors are "cures" will require longer follow-up. The idea that chemotherapy does not cure most cancer patients because all their neoplastic cells are not in cycle has led to the use of drug combinations. Whatever they are, "cocktail combinations" which are made up of drugs given according to any timing, or scientific combinations, based on pharmacodynamics, pharmaco­ kinetics or cell kinetics data, are more toxic than single drugs, and are all the more toxic as the number of drugs in the combination is increased.

Inhalt

Application of Large Animal Toxicology to the Qualitative and Quantitative Prediction of Drug Toxicity in Man.- Hematological Toxicity: Biological Basis.- Immunological Toxicity of Cancer Chemotherapy.- Bacterial and Fungal Infections During Cancer Chemotherapy.- A Study of Viral Infections in Patients Treated with a Combination of 6 Mercaptopurine-Methotrexate: Preliminary Results.- Role of Gnotobiotic Care in Chemotherapy of Acute Leukemia.- White Blood Cell Transfusions in Leukemic Patients with Severe Infections.- Efficacy of Platelet Transfusions from HL-A Compatible Unrelated Donors to Alloimmunized Patients.- Immune Responsiveness in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients under Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy: A Preliminary Report.- Transfer Factor Therapy in Immunodeficiencies.- Reconstitution of Cellular Immunity in Hodgkin's Disease with Transfer Factor.- Complications of Cancer Chemotherapy. The Special Case of Hormones.- Factors Modifying the Activity and Toxicity of Anticancer Agents.- Modification of Drug Metabolism Induced in the Host by the Presence of a Tumor.- IS Local Chemotherapy Less Toxic than Systemic?.- Pharmacokinetic Simulation: A Future Means for Better Control of Cancer Chemotherapy.- Carcinogenesis by Cancer Chemotherapeutic Agents: Second Malignancies Complicating Hodgkin's Disease in Remission.- Malignancies Possibly Secondary to Anticancer Therapy.- Prevention of Chemotherapy Complications: Time, Toxicity, Pharmacokinetic, Pharmacodynamic and Logistic Factors.