The ECHO recommendations for dealing with vinblastine shortage affecting standard treatment of systemic Langerhans cell histiocytosis
2024
Abstract
Vinblastine (VBL) has been inuse in the treatment of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) alone or combined with other drugs since the1960s. The combination of VBL with corticosteroids has been the backbone of the first-line treatment for systemic LCH in several large prospective trials comprising a population far exceeding 1000 patients.
VBL has been a cornerstone for the upfront treatment of newly diagnosed patients with LCH who require systemic therapy. Therefore, according to the World Health Organization, it isanessen-tial drug for treating LCH an do the pediatric malignancies.