Therapy of desmoid tumors and fibromatosis using vinorelbine

In patients with either desmoids or fibromatosis who do not tolerate vinblastine and methotrexate because of neurotoxicity, the combination of vinorelbine and methotrexate can be substituted in most. Patients with the same condition who had not been previously treated with a combination of vinblastine and methotrexate responded well to the combination of vinorelbine and methotrexate, with significantly less neurotoxicity and a similar objective and subjective response rate. Sixty percent of patients had either a substantial partial remission or a complete remission. In no patients did the disease progress while they were receiving this therapy. Symptomatic relief, primarily of pain, occurred in 80% of patients. While minimal neurotoxicity was seen in 16% of these patients, it did not interfere with the completion of therapy. The combination of vinorelbine and methotrexate appears to be active in the treatment of both desmoid tumors and fibromatosis and is associated with significantly less neurotoxicity then that seen with the combination of vinblastine and methotrexate. No long-term toxicity was seen in any patient in this series.