Swainsonine: a new antineoplastic immunomodulator.

Swainsonine, an indolizidine alkaloid with immunomodulatory activity, has been found to be effective in inhibiting metastatic dissemination and growth of primary tumors of both murine and human origins. The unique ability of swainsonine to exhibit antimetastatic, anti-proliferative, and immunomodulatory activity imparts this drug a promising future in cancer therapy.