Vinblastine Sulfate and Infections

• Generic Name: vinblastine
• Dosage Forms: n.a.
• Other Brand Names: Velban

In combination chemotherapy as first- or second-line therapy for Hodgkin’s disease.

Often used with doxorubicin, bleomycin, and dacarbazine (known as the ABVD regimen) as first-line therapy for Hodgkin’s disease.

Under investigated in other combination regimens (e.g., Stanford V regimen: doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, vincristine, mechlorethamine, etoposide, and prednisone) for the treatment of advanced Hodgkin's disease.

For the treatment of advanced nonseminomatous testicular carcinoma, combination chemotherapy regimens containing vinblastine, cisplatin, and bleomycin have been used; however, most clinicians recommend regimens containing cisplatin and bleomycin, in combination with etoposide rather than vinblastine, as first-line therapy, particularly because of the reduced risk of neuromuscular toxicity and evidence suggesting greater efficacy in poor-risk patients.

A regimen of cisplatin, ifosfamide, and either vinblastine or etoposide currently is considered by most clinicians to be the standard initial salvage (i.e., second-line) regimen in patients with recurrent testicular cancer.

Has been used alone or in combination chemotherapy for the palliative treatment of AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma.

Single-agent therapy with vinblastine is considered an alternative regimen.

Combination chemotherapy with a vinca alkaloid (vinblastine or vincristine) also has been a preferred regimen, but many clinicians currently consider a liposomal anthracycline (doxorubicin or daunorubicin) the first-line therapy of choice for advanced AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma.

Combination chemotherapy with conventional antineoplastic agents (e.g., bleomycin, conventional doxorubicin, etoposide, vinblastine, vincristine) has been used for more advanced disease (e.g., extensive mucocutaneous disease, lymphedema, symptomatic visceral disease).

A liposomal anthracycline for the treatment of advanced AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma produces similar or higher response rates with a more favorable toxic effects profile than combination therapy with conventional chemotherapeutic agents.

Single-agent vinblastine has been used for the treatment of classic Kaposi's sarcoma.

In combination regimens with cisplatin and methotrexate, with or without doxorubicin, as first- or second-line therapy for invasive and advanced bladder cancer.

In combination with cisplatin and mitomycin (MVP) as an alternative regimen for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

Currently preferred regimens for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer include the combination of cisplatin or carboplatin, with another agent, such as paclitaxel, docetaxel, vinorelbine, or gemcitabine.

Used in combination regimens (e.g., cisplatin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine, with or without interferon alfa and aldesleukin) for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

Superiority of combination regimens compared with dacarbazine alone not established, and dacarbazine monotherapy currently is a systemic treatment of choice for metastatic melanoma.

In combination with cisplatin and bleomycin or as monotherapy (second-line) for the treatment of intracranial germ cell tumors.

Has been used in the treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura.

Slow IV infusions of vinblastine or the use of vinblastine-loaded platelets has reportedly been effective in some cases for the treatment of autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

Palliative treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, including lymphocytic lymphoma (nodular and diffuse, poorly and well differentiated), histiocytic lymphoma, and advanced stages of mycosis fungoides; however, other agents currently are preferred.

Treatment of Letterer-Siwe disease.