Oncovin

How does it work?

Vincristine sulphate is an anticancer (cytotoxic) medicine. Cancers form when some cells within the body multiply uncontrollably and abnormally. There are two types of cancer. Solid cancers where a lump forms e.g. the bone, muscle, brain cells etc. divide and multiply abnormally. The second type are leukaemias and lymphomas where the blood cells divide and multiply abnormally. Other characteristics of cancer besides uncontrolled growth include the ability of these abnormal cells to invade other tissues next to them or to break away from the original site, travel through the blood or lymph, and establish a new cancer at a different site of the body. These are called metastases. Like normal healthy cells, cancer cells go through a continuous process of change. Each cell divides into two daughter cells. These cells grow, rest and then divide again. The medicines used in chemotherapy are powerful chemicals designed to interupt this cycle and stop cells from growing. Several different types of anticancer medicines are used in chemotherapy. Each type kills cells at a different stage of the cell's life cycle. Each does its job in a different way. Vincristine belongs to a group of anticancer medicines called vinca alkaloids. Alkaloids prevent the formation of chromosome (threadlike structure in cells that carries genetic information) spindles necessary for cell duplication at the dividing stage (mitosis) in it's life cycle. Unfortunately, anticancer medicines will also affect the growth and division of normal, healthy cells in the same way, such as blood, gut and hair cells. This can therefore cause several of the side effects seen with chemotherapy e.g. hair loss. The body's immune system also becomes suppressed increasing the risk of infections. Vincristine, however, does not usually suppress the production of blood cells by the bone marrow. In most chemotherapy regimens, doses are administered in courses at various intervals to allow normal cells to recover from the adverse effects of the anticancer medicines between doses. However, during this period, cancer cells will also recover and start to replicate again. Successful treatment depends on the administration of the next course of therapy before the cancer has regrown to its previous size and the net effect is to decrease the amount of cancer with each successive course. Vincristine is used principally in combination with other anticancer medicines. It is administered by intravenous injection only.

What is it used for?

A form of cancer of the bone marrow (myeloma)

Acute lymphocytic leukaemia

Acute myeloid leukaemia

Breast cancer

Cancer of the blood, characterised by an increased number of granulocytes in the blood

Cancer of the bone e.g. Osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma.

Cancer of the brain

Cancer of the soft tissue e.g. muscle (soft tissue sarcoma)

Childhood cancer of the kidneys (Wilms' tumour)

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Head and neck cancer

Lung cancer

Lymph node cancer

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Retinoblastoma (cancer of the retina), which occurs in infants

Tumour composed of nerve cells, most commonly originating in the adrenal gland (neuroblastoma)

Warning!

Avoid contact with the eyes.

People taking this medicine should have regular blood tests to check the levels of their blood components.

Injection of this medicine into the spinal cord (intrathecal injection) is likely to be fatal. This medicine is for INTRAVENOUS USE ONLY.

This medicine is vesicant, ie it can cause severe local reactions such as blistering, ulceration and death to skin and tissue should it leak out of the vein (extravasation). Great care must be taken to avoid extravasation when administering this medicine.

Special precautions must be taken by those preparing and handling cytotoxic medicines, in order to prevent self-contamination.

Use with caution in

Liver disease

Not to be used in

Injection into the spinal cord (intrathecal injection)

This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy. If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.

This medicine should not be used in pregnancy. Seek medical advice from your doctor.

This medicine should not be used by breastfeeding mothers. Discuss this with your doctor.

Side effects

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

Abdominal pain

Constipation

Difficulty in passing urine (urinary retention)

"Pins and needles" sensation in hands and feet (peripheral neuritis)

Loss of appetite

Damage to the nerves

Reversible hair loss

Jaw pain

Paralysis or inactivity of the intestine that stops the movement of material through the gut (paralytic ileus)

Pain

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer. For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.

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