Phase II trial of menogaril in patients with previously treated multiple myeloma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Menogaril is a semisynthetic anthracycline with relative lack of cardiotoxi city. Ten patients with multiple myeloma (MM), seven patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and one patient with diffuse well-differentiate d lymphocytic lymphoma (DWDL) were treated with menogaril, 160 mg/m(2) (for MM) or 200 mg/m(2) (for CLL/DWDL), given as a 2-hour intravenous infusion, repeated every 28 days. All patients except one with CLL had been previous ly treated with one chemotherapy regimen and had either not responded or ha d relapsed after a response to prior treatment. There were no objective res ponses to treatment. Among the six evaluable patients with MM, two had stab le disease with subjective improvement in symptoms for five to 25 cycles, a nd among the eight patients with CLL/DWDL, five patients remained stable fo r two to eight cycles on treatment. The remainder of the patients had progr essive disease after one to two cycles of chemotherapy. Five grade 4 hemato logic toxicities were observed. There was one fatal neutropenic sepsis. Men ogaril, as administered in this study, does not appear to have significant activity in patients with previously treated MM or CLL.