The high rate of relapse of many solid cancers (such as of the breast, ovary and neuroblastomas in children) indicates an incomplete response to treatment, with large numbers of tumor cells initially escaping the effect of chemotherapy by various defense mechanisms. An additional, but frequent undesirable effect is the induction of multifactorial drug resistance by the drugs themselves. The ongoing search for agents capable of overcoming this resistance keeps scientists scouring natural habitats. Some marine-derived substances have been found promising: aplidine, spisulosine (ES-285), kahalalide f and ecteinascidin 743. The latter will be reviewed, since it has already entered clinical testing.
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