Vincristine in the treatment of multiple myeloma
Riccardi, A.; Merlini, G.; Montecucco, C.; Perugini, S.
Haematologica 65(5): 595-611
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0390-6078 PMID: 6780418 Document Number: 164513
Eight patients with multiple myeloma were treated with 13 courses of therapy with vincristine (VCR), given alone (2 mg/7-15 days for 4-5 doses) or associated (1-2 mg) on the 1st day of courses with peptichemio (PTC, 40-60 mg/48 h for 4-8 doses). Ten courses of VCR monochemotherapy were administered. Six were given with the aim of stabilizing remission states already achieved with PTC (5 courses) or cyclophosphamide (CTX) (1 course). All gave successful results. Two partial remissions (PR) went into complete remission. Four courses of VCR monochemotherapy were administered to treat relapses of myeloma due to alkylating resistance and/or cytopenia. Two of them induced PR, 1 improved clinical conditions and reduced from 92 to 64% the bone marrow plasmocytomatous infiltrate, and 1 was ineffective in arresting the progression of the relapse. VCR monochemotherapy constantly improved the hematological conditions of the treated patients. The association of VCR to PTC, iused in 3 courses, potentiated the effectiveness of this alkylating agent in inducing remission in patients who became resistant to melphalan and CTX late in the course of their disease. PR were achieved with doses of PTC much lower than those employed in PTC induction monochemotherapy. VCR apparently is effective in multiple myeloma; it apparently can be a useful agent for the treatment of the different clinical situations occurring during the course of the disease.