2'-deoxycoformycin. A new anticancer agent.

2'-deoxycoformycin (2'-dCF) is a powerful inhibitor of adenosine deaminase (ADA), an enzyme found in high concentrations in lymphoid tissue. Although inactive in preclinical tumor models, 2'-dCF has shown clinical antitumor activity as a single agent in lymphoid malignancies. This drug has the added potential of being useful as a potentiator of other antitumor agents which are deactivated by ADA. It is also possible that the drug has potential as an immunosuppressive agent. Phase I studies are ongoing and phase II trials are planned to define the antitumor spectrum of this agent.