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.