Anticancer Agents Beyond Cisplatin

The development and final approval of the three major platinum drugs - cisplatin, carbo-platin, and oxaliplatin - spanned more than 40 years during which time the search for non-platinum anticancer agents intensified. This period led to the discovery of the antimetastatic effects of ruthenium compounds, the anticancer properties of gold anti-arthritic drugs, and the antitumor properties of organometallic titanium compounds and simple gallium salts. While new anticancer agents containing these metal ions continue to be synthesized and tested, none has yet reached clinical approval. Sensing that precious metals beyond platinum may produce the next metal-based anticancer drug has stimulated new research on palladium, osmium, rhodium and iridium compounds that are now being screened for their antitumor effects. This chapter summarizes the successes, failures and future directions in the effort to expand the arsenal of metal-based anticancer drugs beyond platinum. It also discusses in detail the structure, synthesis, properties and biological interactions of these agents.