Amsacrine: a review.

Amsacrine is an acridine derivative that has been extensively evaluated for its antitumor activity in recent years. Amsacrine is active in the treatment of acute leukemias and lymphomas but largely ineffective in solid tumors. In acute myelogenous leukemia, amsacrine is as effective as the two most active drugs, cytarabine and daunorubicin and can produce complete remissions in patients refractory to these drugs. The addition of amsacrine to the limited therapeutic armamentarium for this disease offers the potential for improved remission rates and remission duration.