A series of novel 5H-benzo [b] carbazoles related to the ellipticines was obtained from the reactions of p-benzoquinones with 2-aminomethylene-1-indanones. Most of the compounds were evaluated for their antitumour activity in the National Cancer Institute's in vitro human tumour cell line screening panel. Among them, particularly derivative 15c bearing a p- quinone methide moiety in ring C of the heterocycle was found to show in vitro activity ...