PHASE-II STUDY OF MERBARONE (NSC-336628) IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED GASTRIC-CARCINOMA

Merbarone, 5-(N-phenylcarboxamido)-2-thiobarbituric acid (NSC 336628), is a derivative of barbituric acid and represents a unique class of a ntineoplastic agents. We treated 16 patients with advanced gastric car cinoma in a phase II study of merbarone. All patients were previously untreated with chemotherapy or biological therapy. The starting dose o f merbarone was 1000mg/m(2) infused over 24 hr for 5 consecutive days every 21 days. A median of two courses (range, 1-7) was given. None of the patients achieved a complete or partial response; however, 3 pati ents achieved a transient minor response. Toxicity was mild to moderat e in most patients, but 1 patient died of treatment-related neutropeni a and sepsis. Our data suggest that merbarone at this dose and schedul e is inactive against gastric carcinoma. The evidence of minor respons e suggests that analog research may be worthwhile to pursue.