Kurt Hellmann – författare

The International Society of Chemotherapy meets every two years to review progress in chemotherapy of infections and of malignant disease. Each meeting gets larger to encompass the extension of chemotherapy into new areas. In some instances, expansion has been rapid, for example in cephalosporins, pen­ icillins and combination chemotherapy of cancer - in others slow, as in the field of parasitology. New problems of resistance and untoward effects arise; reduction of host toxicity without loss of antitumour activity by new substances occupies wide attention. The improved results with cancer chemotherapy, es­ pecially in leukaemias, are leading to a greater prevalence of severe infection in patients so treated, pharmacokinetics of drugs in normal and diseased subjects is receiving increasing attention along with related problems of bioavailability and interactions between drugs. Meanwhile the attack on some of the major bacterial infections, such as gonorrhoea and tubercu­ losis, which were among the first infections to feel the impact of chemotherapy, still continue to be major world problems and are now under attack with new agents and new methods. From this wide field and the 1,000 papers read at the Congress we have produced Proceedings which reflect the variety and vigour of research in this important field of medicine. It was not possible to include all of the papers presented at the Congress but we have attempted to include most aspects of cur­ rent progress in chemotherapy.

The International Society of Chemotherapy meets every two years to review progress in chemotherapy of infections and of malignant disease. Each meeting gets larger to encompass the extension of chemotherapy into new areas. In some instances, exp~sion has been rapid, for example in cephalosporins, pen­ icillins and combination chemotherapy of cancer - in others slow, as in the field of parasitology. New problems of resistance and untoward effects arise; reduction of host toxicity without loss of antitumour activity by new substances occupies wide attention. The improved results with cancer chemotherapy, es­ pecially in leukaemias, are leading to a greater prevalence of severe infection in patients so treated, pharmacokinetics of drugs in normal and diseased subjects is rece1v1ng increasing attention along with related problems of bioavailability and interactions between drugs. Meanwhile the attack on some of the major bacterial infections, such as gonorrhoea and tubercu­ losis, which were among the first infections to feel the impact of chemotherapy, still continue to be major world problems and are now under attack with new agents and new methods. From this wide field and the 1,000 papers read at the Congress we have produced Proceedings which reflect the variety and vigour of research in this important field of medicine. It was not possible to include all of the papers presented at the Congress but we have attempted to include most aspects of cur­ rent progress in chemotherapy.

Razoxane and dexrazoxane are two novel drugs with some uniquely useful features. They block cell division at the G2/M border, but nowhere else, so that they have a low toxicity profile. They suppress tumor metastasis and haemorrhages through normalization of pathological blood vessels. Razoxane potentiates radiotherapy especially in the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas and gastrointestinal neoplasms. They protect normal tissues against toxic chemicals, e.g. the myocardium against anthracyclines or subcutaneous tissue against injuries caused by incidental extravasations of anthracyclines. Dexrazoxane is the only drug approved by the FDA/EMEA for the specific purpose of preventing cardiac damage when giving the widely used and effective antitumor anthracyclines. The reduction of cardiotoxicity is achieved without response reduction or reducing of time to progression of tumors. While the full analysis of their actions at the molecular level is not yet completely understood, it seems most likely that it is via an inhibition on the topoisomerase II a. Moreover, the drugs have the ability to chelate several metals including iron, copper or zinc.The protection of normal tissues is nowhere more important than that of brain, and there are indications that the proteins thought to be responsible for the ravages of Alzheimer´s disease could be stabilized by one or both these drugs.

The Metastasis Group of the European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) held an International Meeting at the Royal Institution in London on April 2lst-23rd, 1980. The subject was "Clinical and Experimental Aspects of Metastasis" and these Proceedings are the record of that Meeting. Almost all of those who presented a paper or a poster have written up their contributions as chapters of the Proceedings and we have made no distinction here between posters and oral communications. The Organizers and Editors owe a considerable debt of gratitude to all the contributors who without exception presented the results of their work in a clear and concise manner that did much to reveal the essence of the complex problems central to current thinking on met­ astasis. Moreover most manuscripts arrived well within the deadline - a circumstance which in our experience is unusual. Of the large audience who attended the Meeting many had come from the far distant corners of the World and to them as well as to the presenters of papers the Organizers wish to express their deep appreciation.