Expression of Vincristin-induced Peripheral Neuropathy Related to Different Administration Methods

Vincristine (VCR) is an important drug used in R-CHOP regimens for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the administration method affects the incidence of VCR-induced peripheral neuropathy. We investigated the ratio of VCR-induced peripheral neuropathy during rapid intravenous infusion and intravenous drip infusion. A total of 71 patients who had received six or more courses of R-CHOP from January, 2015 to December, 2016 at Komaki City Hospital and Ogaki Municipal Hospital were retrospectively investigated. Peripheral neuropathy was observed in 27/39 patients (69 %) and 24/32 (75 %) in rapid intravenous infusion and intravenous drip infusion of VCR, respectively (P = 0.79). Peripheral neuropathy was observed at a high frequency in this study. Additionally, there was no difference in frequency of peripheral neuropathy due to the difference in administration method. In both groups, the degree of peripheral neuropathy was grade 1 and grade 2 in most patients. However, in rapid intravenous infusion, grade 3 peripheral neuropathy was observed. Some cases required dose reduction and discontinuation in rapid intravenous infusion. In contrast, there were no discontinuing patients in the intravenous drip infusion. Therefore, it was suggested that intravenous drip infusion of VCR reduced serious peripheral neuropathy because the ratio requiring dose reduction and discontinuation was less than that in the rapid group. In conclusion, this study is informative as there are few reports focusing on the administration method of vincristine.