[Adverse (cardio-)vascular effects of vinorelbine in non-small-cell bronchial carcinoma]

Vinorelbin is an important tumouricidal substance. The (cardio-)vascular side effects are not well known. We report on four patients in highly palliative situations who were treated with vinorelbine for non-small cell lung cancer. Case one presented with myocardial infarction eleven days after onset of therapy. The second and third cases had to be admitted immediately after the beginning of vinorelbine treatment because of hypertension and angina pectoris. The fourth case suffered from angina abdominalis. A critical review of the literature showed 17 cardiac ischaemias with seven myocardial infarctions, three of them with lethal outcome.