Real-World Vinflunine Outcomes in Bladder Cancer in a Single-Institution Study: Moving Beyond Clinical Trials

Purpose: Intravenous vinflunine 320 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks plus best supportive care resulted in better overall survival in comparison with best supportive care alone for eligible patients with failure of prior therapy with locally advanced or metastatic transitional cell cancer of urothelial tract (TCCU). The objective of the present study was to describe our real-life experience of vinflunine for treatment of patients with TCCU.

Patients and methods: We retrospectively investigated all patients with TCCU who received at least 1 cycle of vinflunine.

Results: Nineteen patients were treated between May 2010 and March 2014 in a compassionate-use program. Performance status was poor in our real-life cohort, with 6 patients (32%) with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2. Median duration of vinflunine treatment was 2.4 months (range, 0-4.3 months), and median number of cycles was 3 (range, 1-6). Total response rate was 32%, with partial responses only. Disease control rate was 53%, with a median duration of 7.7 months (range, 6.0-9.4 months). Median progression-free survival was 87 days, or 2.9 months (range, 0.7-11.7 months). After vinflunine treatment, 42% of patients received from 1 to 3 additional lines of chemotherapy. The most frequent grade 4 toxicities were constipation (26%), with 3 intestinal obstructions (16%) and 1 mechanical ileus (5%); and asthenia and fatigue (21%).

Conclusion: Vinflunine, as a TCCU second-line chemotherapy, brings benefits, particularly in cases where there is no alternative treatment.