Description

Fortunately the scientific and medical literature related to cancer chemo- therapy is now expanding rapidly. While this is most excellent for future cancer treatment prospects, it is becoming more difficult for all the resear- chers in chemotherapy-bio-organic chemists involved with the discovery of new anticancer drugs, biologists and pharmacologists developing these new drugs, and physicians doing the clinical research-to keep abreast of current achievements in these disciplines so vitally important to effective cancer treatment. The purpose of Volumes 1 and 2 of this work was to provide useful reviews of current progress in discovery and clinical applica- tion of new biosynthetic cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. Volume 1 gave a general view of the cancer problem and cancer treatment using biosynthetic products, based on literature available through December 1975. Volume 2 included mainly the first summary of plant and animal biosynthetic antineoplastic and/or cytotoxic constituents to April 1976. The survey comprising this third volume has been divided into two sections. Section A provides an extension of the Volume 2 data on plant and animal antineoplastic and/or cytotoxic constituents to July 1977. The introduction to Section A brings the summary of such biosynthetic products to literature available November 1, 1977. Section B incorporates a summary of data of essentially all previously isolated and characterized marine animal constituents irrespective of biological activity.