Recent studies on antibiotics and small molecular immunomodulators with potential usefulness in treating lung cancer: Part I - Antitumor antibiotics and their derivatives.

Aclacinomycin, isolated from the culture of a Streptomyces, and 4'-O-tetrahydropyranyladriamycin, prepared by chemical derivation, exhibit significantly low cardiac toxicity and more effectiveness than does adriamycin. Pepleomycin, a new derivative of bleomycin, has 4-5 times lower pulmonary toxicity and more potent activity than the parent antibiotic. The future prospects of studies on antibiotics with potential usefulness in treatment of lung cancer are discussed.