A new synthesis of goniobutenolides A (1) and B (2) and the corresponding 7-epimers has been achieved starting from diacetone d-glucose. The key step of the synthesis is a new one-pot sequence that commenced with Z-selective Wittig (or Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons) olefination, followed by successive γ-lactonisation and β-elimination. The above-mentioned unsaturated lactones were then converted to the corresponding 5-halogenated crassalactone D derivatives by using the appropriate haloetherification protocol. The most of synthesized compounds exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against a panel of tumour cell lines. The main structural features responsible for their antitumour potency have been revealed by means of SAR analysis. Flow cytometry data suggested that cytotoxic effects of these compounds in the culture of K562 cells might be mediated by apoptosis, additionally revealing that these molecules induced changes in cell cycle distribution of these cells. Results of semi-quantitative Western blot analysis indicate that the most of synthesized compounds induce apoptosis in a caspase-dependent manner.