Faculty Bibliography

The clinical evaluation of new antibiotics and their analogs requires detailed analysis with respect to the best therapeutic strategy. In the case of anthracycline, diminished cardiac toxicity is as important an aim as increased activity. In the evaluation of cardiac toxicity the most important parameter must be the time to toxicity rather than the total dose. The new endomyocardial biopsy technique may be helpful in the study of analogs such as rubidazone, carminomycin and AD32. Actinomycin D analogs are also of interest, since this drug is part of several curative regimens, but its use has been limited by its severe acute toxicity. In the case of bleomycin, analogs with diminished pulmonary toxicity should be sought.

A detailed review of the literature was done to define the epidemiology, pathology, clinical features, and treatment of pleural mesothelioma. It appears that pleural mesothelioma accounts for approximately 400 deaths each year in the United States. Asbestos has been definitely implicated in the etiology of this disease. The common clinical features include chest pain, pleural effusion, and radiologic findings of irregular pleural thickening or pleural densities. Therapeutic modalities used in the past have included surgery, radiation therapy, and, more recently, chemotherapy. A combined modality approach to treatment appears more promising.