Cytotoxic activity of echinomycin in a human tumor cloning system.

A human tumor cloning system was utilized to screen for in vitro antitumor effects of the investigational anticancer agent Echinomycin. Tumors from 562 patients (24 different histological tumor types) were placed in culture. Two hundred fifty-five specimens were evaluable for drug sensitivity information (i.e., greater than or equal to 20 colonies in control plates). The overall in vitro response rates (defined as less than 50% survival of tumor colony-forming units) at three different doses of Echinomycin (0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 micrograms/ml) were between 16% and 19%. Echinomycin showed minor in vitro cytotoxic activity in breast and colon cancer, and in sarcoma. A comparison of these in vitro results with the results of phase-II clinical trials, as they become available, will help to evaluate the utility of the human tumor cloning system for predicting clinical antitumor activity of new antineoplastics.