[Antitumor activity of LY 188011, a new deoxycytidine analog, against human cancers xenografted into nude mice].

LY 188011 (gemcitabine hydrochloride) was evaluated for its antitumor effect in fifteen human tumors xenografted in nude mice from seven gastric, two colorectal, two breast, two lung and two liver cancer lines, in the latter four of which the results were compared with those obtained with mitomycin C. LY 188011 significantly reduced the volume of tumor xenografts in seven lines, including drug-resistant colorectal and lung cancer lines. The antitumor effect of LY 188011 was further confirmed by pathological observation. Moreover, LY 188011 has shown to be significantly more potent in two lung cancer models than mitomycin C. Administration of LY 188011 induced less side effect; early loss of body weight was observed in four lines out of fifteen tested. These data suggest that LY 188011 seemed to be an excellent candidate in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer.