USE OF PHENOL SUBSTITUTED DIPHOSPHONATES AS ANTINEOPLASTIC AGENTS

The invention provides the use of a phenol substituted gem-diphosphonate selected from the compounds of formula (I), where Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 are identical or different and are OR where R is H, a straight, branched or cyclic alkyl group comprising from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, OM where M is a cation, NR2 where R has the same meaning as defined above, Z1, Z2 and Z3, z4 may form an alkylidenedioxy ring comprising from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, X1, X2 are identical or different and are H, a halogen atom, a straight, branched or cyclic alkyl or alkoxy group from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, X3 is H, an alkyl group R1 from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an acyl group C(O)R1, a carbamyl group C(O)NHR1 where R1 is described as above, X3O and one of the two other substituents X1 or X2 may form an alkylidenedioxy ring comprising from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, A is -CH=CH-CH2-, -(CH2)n-, -O(CH2)n-, -S-, -SO2-, -S(CH2)n-, -SO2(CH2)n-, where n is an integer from 1 to 7 or together with B forms an alkylidene group of the fromula -(CH=CH)k-(CH2)d-CH= where k is zero or 1 and d is an integer from zero to 4, B is H, an alkyl group from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, t is zero or 1, with the proviso that t is zero only when A is (CH=CH)k-(CH2)d-CH= where k and d are as described above, for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment or prevention of neoplastic diseases and in particular ras dependent cancers.