Cisplatin Chemistry and Biochemistry of a Leading Anticancer Drug Since Rosenberg's serendipitous discovery of its antitumor activity, cisplatin has become one of the greatest success stories of cancer chemotherapy. The biomedical applications of this inorganic compound have had an enormous impact on the development of coordination chemistry, and have served to underline the critical importance of basic research.

This book compiles in six Parts the various aspects of chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pharmacology, and medicine relevant to cisplatin, describing new links that suggest how cisplatin may trigger a cascade of cellular events that result ultimately in apoptosis. In Part 1, Rosenberg describes in a very personal manner the history of cisplatin from its accidental discovery to its establishment as a leading cancer drug. In Part 2 is described the current clinical status of platinum-derived antitumor agents. The biochemistry of cisplatin and current views of its mode of action comprise Part 3, while Part 4 focuses on the chemistry relevant to interactions of platinum(II) species with biomolecules. The examples compiled in Part 5 elucidate the impact of cisplatin on specific fields within inorganic chemistry, from the 'platinum blues' to platinum(III) compounds. The book concludes with Part 6, a description of several new developments in the field, e.g., orally active platinum drugs and the screening of combinatorial libraries of platinum compounds for antitumor activity. This volume provides all scientists, from coordination chemists to oncologists, with a unique resource detailing the state-of-the-art and future research perspectives, together with the fascinating story, of cisplatin.