title: Defibrotide in the prevention of venous irritation by vinorelbine administration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vinorelbine is active in a variety of malignancies. The most common side effects are leukopenia and granulocytopenia, moreover Vinorelbine is a vescicant and venous irritant, the incidence of the latter being 10-26% in patients who received VNB as a 20-30 minute peripheral infusion. To prevent venous toxicity we have carried out a study in order to evaluate the efficacy of Defibrotide in this issue.
  
  
  METHODS
  41 patients were enrolled in the study, the experimental schedule was: Defibrotide 400 mg on 250 cc of normal saline iv, after 15 minutes of infusion, we delivered quick, brief and repeated pulses of Vinorelbine through the plastic tube followed by remaining Defibrotide: For grading venous irritation we used the scale by Rittenberg et al.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 360 infusion were delivered, the incidence of any venous irritation was 5% and maximum grade 2. No severe toxicity was recorded.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data show that Defibrotide might serve as a therapeutic drug to prevent vascular toxicity by Vinorelbine.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Sezione di Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maisano
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Adamo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Toscano
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chiofalo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pergolizzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scimone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011089:Polydeoxyribonucleotides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000077235:Vinorelbine
chemical_list: D011089:Polydeoxyribonucleotides; C036901:defibrotide; D014747:Vinblastine; D000077235:Vinorelbine