title: Oral vinorelbine: a feasible and safe partner for radiotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) using cisplatin-based doublets represents the standard of care for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), having shown good efficacy and activity in clinical trials. Locally advanced NSCLC occurs frequently in the elderly population, which is often excluded by platinum-based CCRT administration, due to severe associated toxicities. This limitation has been overcome using new-generation drugs such as gemcitabine, docetaxel, paclitaxel, and vinorelbine, which have shown not only to be efficacious but also to have a favorable toxicity spectrum, both in association with cisplatin and as single agents. Vinorelbine is a vinca alkaloid that binds to tubulin, thus inhibiting mitotic microtubule polymerization. Previous studies have clearly demonstrated that vinorelbine acts as a radiosensitizing agent when administered intravenously or orally. Moreover, oral administration of vinorelbine has shown a good clinical safety profile in both elderly and younger patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comprehensive review of the literature data regarding use of oral vinorelbine concurrently with radiotherapy in NSCLC was done.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Single-agent oral vinorelbine may represent an effective therapy option for elderly patients with locally advanced lung cancer. This review has described the use of oral vinorelbine both as a monochemotherapy and in combination with cisplatin in the context of CCRT.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Oncology Department, San Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perri
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, San Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto, Italy.
authors.forename: Grazia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lazzari
authors.affiliation: Radiation Oncology Department, San Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto, Italy; Medical Oncology Unit, San Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Della Vittoria Scarpati
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, San Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, Taranto, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Silvano
keywords: chemoradiotherapy; locally advanced NSCLC; oral vinorelbine