Suppression by ticlopidine of peplomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis; A clinical evaluation.

Peplomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis disturbs unexpectedly and unfortunately the schedule of treatment with anti-cancer drugs. Recent pharmacological experiments in animals disclosed that ticlopidine may be useful in suppressing peplomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. We investigated clinically the suppression by ticlopidine of peplomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.Ticlopidine was administered orally to ten patients with head and neck cancer who were being treated with peplomycin, and its suppression of peplomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis was evaluated by noting the changes in pulmonary fibrosis markers: angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE), phospholipid (PL), malondialdehyde (MDA) and type III procollagen peptide (Type III p. p.) . Serum analysis showed no change in ACE, but PL increased significantly, indicating that ticlopidine can suppress peplomycininduced pulmonary fibrosis.