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Vincristine is on the list of essential drugs of the World Health Organization, is a drug commonly used in the treatment of cancers such as small cell lung cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, rectal cancer, Thyroid Cancer..
1. Uses of vincristine
Vincristine is also known scientifically as leurocristine or Oncovin. This is a chemotherapy drug used to treat a variety of cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia, neuroblastoma, acute lymphocytic leukemia, and small cell lung cancer. .. Vincristine is used for injection directly into a vein and works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer-causing cells.
2. Dosage and how to take vincristine
2.1. Dosage Before injection, dilute vincristine powder in 0.9% sodium chloride or 5% glucose solution to a concentration of 0.01 mg/ml to 1 mg/ml. Be careful not to add other solutions to the vial. Before injecting, it is necessary to check whether the drug changes color or not, if so, it should not be used.
Special note: Vincristine is only used for intravenous injection or injection into the lead of the IV infusion set, absolutely do not inject intramuscularly or subcutaneously if intradural injection can lead to death.
The person who mixes the medicine should be a doctor who has experience in using chemotherapy drugs and needs tools and means of support when an incident occurs. If the solution comes into contact with the skin or mucous membranes, wash the contact area thoroughly with soap and water. Pregnant women are advised not to handle vincristine.
2.2. Dosage of Vincristine is used in different doses based on the treatment regimen for each disease and the combination of drugs.. So the dose used will always be adjusted to suit the condition of each patient. patient. Specifically:
For patients (adults) with neuroblastoma:
The standard dose applied is 1.4 mg/m2 intravenously for 1 minute. The drug is taken once a week. However, this dose will not be fixed for the next time, but the doctor will appoint for the next use based on the clinical and hematological response of the patient. The maximum dose is 2mg.
For patients (adults) with Lymphoma without Hodgkin's disease:
The standard dose is 1.4 mg/m2 intravenously over 1 minute and the drug is taken orally once a week. Subsequent doses are also indicated based on the clinical and hematological response status of the patient.
Other diseases such as adults with Hodgkin's disease, acute myeloid leukemia, Wilms tumor also use the same dosage as above.
Dosage for children with melanoma:
For children under 18 years of age, who weigh ≤ 10 kg and have a BSA less than 1 m2, the standard dose is 0.05 mg/kg given once a week. . For children under 18, who weigh > 10 kg and have a BSA greater than or equal to 1 m2, the standard dose is 1-2 mg/m2 once a week. Where: BSA is the body surface area -body surface area:BSA- calculated by the formula BSA=0.007184 x W^0.425 x H^0.725 - W is mass (kg) and H is height (cm)
Usual Pediatric Dose for Neuroblastoma: Use 1 mg/m2/day by continuous infusion over 72 hours in combination with doxorubicin.
3. Notes when using vincristine
Watch out for signs of infection: Compared with other anticancer drugs, Vincristine is less likely to cause white blood cell counts. However, careful monitoring is still required, and if symptoms of infection develop, the next dose of Vincristine should be considered. When using Vincristine in combination with uric acid can cause acute kidney disease. For patients with central nervous system leukemia when using Vincristine will not bring high efficiency. Because the ability to penetrate into the cerebral blood stream is low, so patients should use other chemotherapy drugs instead. For pregnant women: Currently, there are no scientific studies that can prove that Vincristine is safe for pregnant women (teratogenic or affecting the embryo) and has the potential to affect health. reproductive. Therefore, it should be used with caution for pregnant women or women who want to become pregnant. For women who are breast-feeding: It is necessary to consult and consult a doctor When using Vincristine, care should be taken to avoid getting the drug into the eyes, because it can cause corneal ulcers. Vincristine affects liver function, causing jaundice, so it is necessary to pay attention to the dosage during use. Because Vincristine is metabolised in the liver and excreted in the bile.
4. Side effects when taking the drug vincristine
Most patients when using Vincristine will experience side effects. Some mild side effects such as:
Nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, stomatitis and mouth ulcers may occur. Hair loss is also a common reaction, but this symptom is reversible upon discontinuation of drug therapy. Constipation: Constipation and bowel obstruction are usually less frequent reactions. Patients can take anti-constipation drugs, stool softeners such as docusate, laxatives, temporarily stop using Vincristine Besides, there are some more serious reactions:
Toxic to the nervous system: This is the most common side effect, severe or mild toxicity will depend on the dose used and the duration of use of the drug Decreased white blood cell count, increased risk of infection, lung damage. Leukopenia, thrombocytopenia leading to anemia Other rare side effects such as depression, hypotension, cranial nerve palsy, hyponatremia without adrenal or renal disease, dehydration. Vincristine is on the list of essential drugs of the World Health Organization, is a drug commonly used in the treatment of cancers such as small cell lung cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, rectal cancer, and cancer. thyroid letter.
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