A Clinical Study of the Comparative Effect of Nitrogen Mustard and DON in Patients With Bronchogenic Carcinoma, Hodgkin's Disease, Lymphosarcoma, and Melanoma2
In a cooperative study involving 11 Veterans Administration Hospitals, the effect of HN2 (nitrogen mustard) and DON (6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine), an “antibiotic” isolated from Streptomyces, was compared in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma, Hodgkin's disease, lymphosarcoma, and melanoma. HN2 was given intravenously in a dose of 0.2 mg. per kg. of body weight for 2 consecutive days. DON was given in a single oral dose of 0.2 mg. per kg. daily for 30 days. The effects were compared by measuring changes in tumor size, by the performance status of the patient, and by the impression of each investigator on the over-all effect. Neither drug was effective in malignant melanoma. HN2 was superior to DON in Hodgkin's disease and lymphosarcoma and slightly better than DON in bronchogenic carcinoma.