It was demonstrated on an experimental model of cytostatic disease induced by a course of injections (1/10 LD50 for 10 days) of antineoplastic agents with various mechanism of action (doxorubicin, vinblastine, cyclophosphamide) that persistent (for 6 months) disorganization of the morphological composition of the thymus and other lymphoid organs is attended by inhibition of the functional activity of the T-cells of the immunity system. It is suggested that the weakened control (on the part of the thymus) due to the effect of the cytostatics may lead to disorders of the processes of proliferation and differentiation of the hematopoietic cells and impairment of the bone marrow morphological composition in late-term periods after cytostatic treatment.

The carcinogenic activity of spyrobromin was studied during the chronic experiment on 1.5-2-month-old rats and mice of both sexes. The drug was administered intragastrically and intraperitoneally once a week in the maximally tolerant dose for 24 months. Under the given experimental conditions spyrobromin can diminish the latent period of the development of tumours in the experimental rats at intraperitoneal administration. At intragastric administration of the drug no decrease was noted in the latent period and no increase of tumours was observed in the experimental groups of the animals as compared with control. Spyrobromin is considered to be a weak carcinogen. The oral route of administration is the most safe with respect to the oncogenic risk.

The necessity of using microbial test systems with regular reproduction of associated impairments in cell differentiation and division in screening of antitumor compounds is substantiated. Conditions for induction of such impairments during secondary growth in prokaryotic and eukaryotic mycelial microorganisms were developed. The fungal culture, Fusarium bulbigenum var. blasticola, the growth of whose secondary colonies was selectively inhibited by representatives of various classes of antitumor agents such as alkylating agents, antimetabolites, antibiotics, plant preparations, etc. was isolated.

In vitro tests have revealed that cytostatic agents and corticosteroids, introduced in vivo, produce an inhibitory effect on the phagocytic activity of mouse neutrophil granulocytes and on their capacity for the destruction of Candida albicans blastospores. The action of the above-mentioned preparations may be an important pathogenetic factor which when introduced into the animals, contributes to the development of candidiasis.

The results of chemotherapy administered to 47 cancer outpatients (a total of 222 cycles) were studied. Leukopenia, alopecia, nausea and vomiting, mostly moderate, were the most frequent side-effects. Outpatient chemotherapy proved as effective as that given under hospital conditions.

The number of aberrant metaphases was used to assess the influence of a highly active interferon inducer--ridostin, a two-spiral RNA, on spontaneous mutagenesis and that induced by an antitumor drug photrin. A new property of ridostin, viz. the antimutagenic effect, was established. The effect may be important for protection of cells from potent mutagens such as cytotoxic drugs used for cancer treatment.

Three different programs of polychemotherapy (PCT) of multiple myeloma (MM) were compared. The programs included the use of cyclophosphamide (up to 750 mg/m2), vincristine (1.4 mg/m2), rubomycin (40 mg/m2), sarcolysine (7.5 mg/m2), paphencyl (50 mg/day) and prednisolone (from 30 to 60 mg/m2) in different combinations with regard to the hemocoagulation and rheological blood properties. It has been shown that in patients with MM there occur profound hemocoagulation and rheological alterations playing an important part in the genesis of the syndrome of hyperviscosity and circulation failure. The use of the programs of PCT in conjunction with therapeutic plasmapheresis brought about an appreciable improvement of the patients' general health status and correction of hemocoagulation and hemorheological disorders. To control the efficacy of PCT, its individualization, intensity and duration, it is recommended that in addition to the common tests, the activity of the antithrombin-III-heparin complex may be measured and the test for the presence of fibrin monomer in the plasma be made, since these parameters clearly reflect the changes in the system of hemostasis and enable one to discover the early signs of proliferation activation in MM thereby preventing hemorrhages.

Mutagenic effect of vincristine, vinblastine, thiophosphamide, sarcolysine and the supermutagen ethyleneimine was studied in Crepis capillaris germinating seeds at the G phase. Metabolic conditions, prolongation of cell cycle, specific activity of preparation as well as inhibition of DNA synthesis were found to modify the mutagenic process induced by antitumour agents.

Anthracycline antibiotics widely used, along with their semisynthetic analogues, in human cancer chemotherapy, are O-glycosides having as aglycon 7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphtacenequinone-5,10-with some hydroxy groups, a side chain at C-9 and sugar(s) residues, usually at C-7. The review includes the most important studies on the chemical modification of the aglycon moiety of daunorubicin, doxorubicin and carminomycin during last ten years. Activity of the compounds on experimental tumours is described and their structure-activity relationship is discussed.

The influence of new antiblastic coordination compounds oxoplatinum and cycloplatam on murine peritoneal macrophage phagocytic activity was investigated in chemiluminescence test in vivo in vitro. The study has shown the stimulation of peritoneal macrophage activity by oxoplatinum and cycloplatam in vitro. In all days, except the first one, oxoplatinum and cycloplatam stimulated macrophage function of intact and especially immune mice.

The effects of dispirotripiperazine derivatives spirobromin and prospidin on the parameters of the peripheral blood and behavioral reactions in a chronic 12-month experiment were studied. The experiment was performed on noninbred rats of both sexes. The maximal tolerated doses of the drugs were administered by two routes (intragastrically or intraperitoneally). Hemoglobin, erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets, reticulocytes, eosinophils were determined in the blood. The behavioral reactions were registered by the methods of the "open field" and the "open area". Under the conditions of the chronic experiment spirobromin and prospidin were shown to exert no significant effect on the parameters of the peripheral blood except a decrease in the amount of erythrocytes. It was noted that spirobromin exerted the most pronounced toxic action on erythrocytes. As to the behavioral reactions, after the administration of prospidin, the neurotoxic action on the rats was found after 12-14 months of observation.

The effect of a Pt (IV) complex compound--oxoplatinum on the humoral and cell immunity in mice was studied. It was established that the drug produced dose-dependent inhibition of T-dependent humoral response to ram erythrocytes. Oxoplatinum appeared to be a costimulator of a mitogen phytohemagglutinin in lymphocyte proliferation slightly influencing allogen-induced proliferation. The stimulation of T-lymphocyte cytotoxicity by small doses of oxoplatinum was also found.