Use of nitrogen mustards during acute hepatitis.

Abstract

The nitrogen mustards have been used experimentally and clinically in the treatment of neoplasms and blood dyscrasias. According to Gilman and Philips, 1 their action is to interfere with the metabolism of cells in rapid mitosis, presumably by enzyme inactivation. To date, results have been of some clinical value only in certain blood dyscrasias and lymphomas, such as chronic myelogenous leukemia and Hodgkin's disease. The dosage and the frequency of administration have been limited by its toxicity to normal tissues. The organs most vulnerable to toxic effects are those whose mitosis occurs at a rapid rate, such as the bone marrow, the gastrointestinal tract, the testes, and the lymphatics. Goodman and co-workers 2 state that no evidence of liver damage was seen in humans with variou blood dyscrasias, when treated with nitrogen mustard. Jacobson and co-workers 3 report that, in various diseases with concomitant liver disease, no hepatic damage was