PHASE-II STUDY OF VINBLASTINE IN PREVIOUSLY TREATED SQUAMOUS CARCINOMA OF THE CERVIX - A GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY GROUP-STUDY

Thirty-six patients with advanced squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix recurrent after radiotherapy or surgery or first-line chemotherapy were eligible for a phase II study employing vinblastine in a dose of 9 mg/m2 intravenously every 3 weeks until disease progression or toxicity supervened. Two patients were never treated, leaving 34 patients evaluable for toxicity. One patient was inevaluable for response, leaving 33 evaluable for this parameter. Thirty-two patients had prior radiotherapy and 30 had prior chemotherapy. All patients had Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) performance status of 0, 1, or 2. Median age was 46 years. Twenty patients had disease in the pelvis and 13 had extrapelvic metastases. Fourteen patients had grade 3 lesions. A median of three courses (range: 1-12 courses) was administered. Ten patients (29.4%) experienced GOG grade 3 or 4 leukocytopenia and 10 had grade 3 or 4 granulocytopenia. Other toxicity included grade 4 gastrointestinal toxicity and anemia in one patient each and two patients with grade 3 neurotoxicity. Twenty patients (60.6%) had stable disease with therapy and 13 had increasing disease. No responses were observed. Vinblastine in this dose and schedule is inactive in previously treated patients with squamous carcinoma of the cervix.