In vitro activity of titanocenedichloride in human renal cell carcinoma compared to conventional antineoplastic agents.

In the present study, the in vitro activity of titanocenedichloride, a novel anticancer metal complex, in eleven primary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) specimens was evaluated by an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence assay. Compared to standard antineoplastic agents such as cisplatin, doxorubicin, mitoxantrone and vinblastine, titanocenedichloride was found to exhibit higher cytotoxicity. Four tumors showed strong sensitivity to the new agent. Three of them were resistant to conventional cytostatics. These findings indicated a lack of cross-resistance between titanocenedichloride and both natural compounds as well as platin analogues. Since mitoxantrone was also found to exhibit marked antineoplastic activity with no evidence of cross-resistance to titanocenedichloride, the combination of both drugs in RCC should be evaluated further with additional in vitro studies.