Journal Archive

A platinum compound, cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II)—known as cisplatin—has recently received the approval of the governments of the United States of America and the United Kingdom for chemotherapy of specific cancers. This paper gives a brief account of the discovery of the physiological activity of certain platinum co-ordination complexes by Professor Barnett Rosenberg and his colleagues, and of the clinical development and testing that has now resulted in its acceptance. While work is continuing to develop superior drugs of this type, and to find a better understanding of their modes of action, it is anticipated that this first generation metal anti-cancer drug will be used for many years to come.