Platinum(II) triphenylphosphane and triphenylarsane complexes help overcome resistance against cisplatinum resistant cancer cell lines

• A sound approach to [PtCl 2 (EPh 3 )(L)] (E = P, As; L = neutral ligand) is available. • [PtCl 2 (EPh 3 )(L)] complexes show interesting antiproliferative properties. • According to the nature of L, [PtCl 2 (EPh 3 )(L)] complexes overcome resistance. In the field of anticancer metal complexes many efforts are continuously devoted to overcome resistance phenomena. Within thousands of new complexes proposed each year as potential metallodrugs, compounds showing modes of action other than that of cisplatin appear promising. This minireview reports about the class of triphenylphosphane complexes of platinum(II), describing their synthesis, antiproliferative properties and modes of action, with a special focus on the possibility of overcoming resistance phenomena.