title: Pharmacokinetics of vinblastine-loaded platelets utilized in the treatment of platelet-phagocytizing tumors.
abstract: Vinblastine-loaded platelets (VLP) have been successfully used in the treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Three patients with platelet-phagocytizing tumors and thrombocytopenia were treated with VLP. Patient 1 has sustained a response for 11 months. Patient 2 was not evaluable for response because of early death. Patient 3 had a brief partial response. Vinblastine levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in the platelet-rich plasma, platelet-poor plasma, and serum. The pharmacokinetic data obtained on the patients suggest that: (a) the amount of vinblastine bound to platelets in vivo is a function of the platelet-poor plasma vinblastine level and the platelet count; (b) VLP will probably not have any therapeutic advantage, compared with iv vinblastine alone in patients with normal platelet counts; and (c) it appears that delivery of vinblastine was tumor-specific, since the bone marrow serum vinblastine level in patient 2, obtained when the marrow was replaced by tumor cells, was 2.5-fold higher than a simultaneous peripheral blood serum vinblastine level after VLP. Additional studies with VLP appear warranted in patients with platelet-phagocytizing tumors resulting in thrombocytopenia.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D010587:Phagocytosis; D010976:Platelet Count; D017713:Platelet Transfusion; D011485:Protein Binding; D011696:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic / Q000188:drug therapy; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000188:drug therapy; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014747:Vinblastine