Oral vinorelbine: a feasible and safe partner for radiotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer

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. CONCLUSION: 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.