[Phase II study of vindesine in hematological malignancies]

A Phase II study of vindesine was carried out by the Vindesine Study Group in 130 patients with hematological malignancies: mainly 3 mg/body (about 2 mg/m2) of vindesine was administered once weekly by bolus injection. In 122 evaluable patients who had been heavily pretreated with vincristine and/or others, remissions were observed in patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, blastic crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia, malignant lymphoma and other leukemias. The overall response rate was 39.3% including 20 complete and 28 partial remissions. No remissions were obtained in acute nonlymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma. All patients were evaluable for toxicity: Leukopenia occurred in 64.9%; peripheral neuropathy in 24.6%; GPT and GOT elevation in 20.7% and in 10.8%; alopecia in 11.5%; gastrointestinal disturbance in 10.8%; and fever in 5.4%. The treatment with vindesine was generally well tolerated, although in five out of 130 patients (3.8%) the treatment was discontinued due to convulsion, feeling of abdominal distention plus constipation, paralytic ileus, dysuria plus constipation, or interstitial pneumonia. Leukopenia and peripheral neuropathy appeared to be dose-limiting factors.