Vincristine sulfate liposome injection: a guide to its use in refractory or relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia frequently relapse or are refractory to conventional treatments. The vincristine sulfate liposome injection (Marqibo(®)) encapsulates the drug in a liposome composed of sphingomyelin and cholesterol to improve tumor drug exposure. At a dose of 2.25 mg/m(2) once weekly, this formulation was associated with an overall response rate of 35 % in adults with Philadelphia chromosome-negative relapsed or refractory disease. There were no new or unexpected toxicities.