vinorelbine tartrate at a glance
Medicine class
Cytotoxic chemotherapy; vinca alkaloid.
Available forms
Soft capsules taken by mouth and a concentrate prepared for intravenous infusion.
Important monitoring
Blood counts are checked because vinorelbine can suppress bone-marrow function, particularly neutrophils.
What is vinorelbine tartrate used for?
The selected UK products have formulation-specific licensed uses in adults.
Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, alone or with other chemotherapy.
Adjuvant treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer with platinum-based chemotherapy: licensed for the oral formulation.
Advanced breast cancer, alone or with other agents; the intravenous product specifically covers disease relapsing after or refractory to an anthracycline-containing regimen.
How does vinorelbine tartrate work?
Vinorelbine binds to tubulin and disrupts microtubule dynamics. Microtubules are needed to form the spindle that separates chromosomes during cell division, so this disruption can arrest dividing cells and lead to cell death.
vinorelbine tartrate preparations and strengths
Solution for infusion
Route: Intravenous
Strengths: 10 mg/mL
Capsule
Route: Oral
Strengths: 20 mg, 30 mg, 80 mg
How to take vinorelbine tartrate
Follow the cancer team's formulation-specific instructions exactly.
Swallow soft capsules whole with water, preferably with a light meal; do not chew, suck or dissolve them, and avoid taking them with a hot drink.
Do not swallow a damaged capsule. Avoid contact with its liquid and return it to the hospital or pharmacy; wash exposed skin or eyes thoroughly.
If vomiting occurs within a few hours of taking a capsule, contact the cancer team and do not take a replacement capsule unless instructed.
The intravenous formulation must be diluted, prepared and administered into a vein by trained healthcare staff. It must never be given intrathecally.
vinorelbine tartrate side effects
Common or expected effects
- Reduced white blood cells, particularly neutrophils, increasing susceptibility to infection
- Anaemia and, less commonly, reduced platelets
- Nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhoea
- Sore mouth or inflammation of the mouth lining
- Tiredness, weakness or fever
- Reduced appetite or weight loss
- Usually mild hair loss
- Numbness, altered reflexes or muscle weakness
- Pain, redness or inflammation along the vein with intravenous treatment
Get urgent medical advice
- Fever or other signs of infection associated with low white-cell counts
- Severe allergic reaction, including swelling, wheeze, breathing difficulty or collapse
- New or unexplained breathlessness, bronchospasm or inflammatory lung disease
- Severe constipation, abdominal swelling or inability to pass stool or wind, which may indicate paralytic ileus
- Chest pain, heart attack or serious heart-rhythm disturbance
- Severe pain, burning, swelling or tissue injury if intravenous vinorelbine leaks outside the vein
vinorelbine tartrate in pregnancy
Vinorelbine may harm an embryo or fetus and is generally avoided during pregnancy unless a specialist judges that the expected benefit outweighs the risk. Pregnancy or plans to conceive should be discussed with the oncology team promptly. The selected product information advises effective contraception during treatment and for 7 months afterwards for people who could become pregnant, and during treatment and for 4 months afterwards for men; fertility preservation may need discussion before treatment.
vinorelbine tartrate while breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is contraindicated during vinorelbine treatment because transfer into human milk is unknown and serious effects in the child cannot be excluded. Breastfeeding should be stopped before treatment; specialist advice is needed about when it may safely restart after therapy.
vinorelbine tartrate interactions
The oncology team should review prescription, non-prescription and herbal products, as clinically important interactions include:
Yellow-fever vaccine
Concomitant use is contraindicated because immunosuppression creates a risk of severe, potentially fatal vaccine infection.
Other live attenuated vaccines
Generally avoid because vinorelbine-related immunosuppression can cause disseminated vaccine infection.
Common questions about vinorelbine tartrate
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
Is vinorelbine chemotherapy?
Yes. Vinorelbine is cytotoxic chemotherapy from the vinca-alkaloid class.
Which cancers is vinorelbine licensed to treat in the UK?
The selected products cover non-small-cell lung cancer and advanced breast cancer. Exact licensed settings differ between the oral and intravenous formulations.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.