Vincristine, actinomycin D and ifosfamide (VAI)

VAI is the name of a chemotherapy combination that includes the drugs we list below, next to each drug we have how you pronounce the drug name in brackets:

• vincristine (vin-kris-teen)
• actinomycin D (act-in-o-my-sin-D)
• ifosfamide (eye-foss-fa-mide)

Actinomycin D is also known as dactinomycin (dact-in-o-my-sin) or as Cosmegen Lyovac.

It is a treatment for Ewing's sarcoma.

Ewing's sarcoma is a type of bone cancer. It can also start in the soft tissues of the body. Ewing’s sarcoma usually affects teenagers and young adults.

How does VAI work?

These chemotherapy drugs destroy quickly dividing cells, such as cancer cells.

How do you have VAI?

You have all these drugs into your bloodstream (intravenously).

You might have treatment through a long plastic tube that goes into a large vein in your chest. The tube stays in place throughout the course of treatment. This can be a:

• central line
• PICC line
• portacath

How often do you have VAI?

You usually have VAI chemotherapy after surgery. Before your surgery you may also have another type of combination chemotherapy called VIDE.

You have VAI in cycles of treatment . This means that you have all the drugs and then have a rest to allow your body to recover. Each cycle of VAI lasts 3 weeks.

You might have up to 8 cycles, taking around 6 months in total. You usually have each cycle of treatment in the following way:

You then start the next treatment cycle.

Mesna

You also have a drug called mesna as a drip into your bloodstream. Mesna isn't chemotherapy. It helps to stop the ifosfamide from irritating your bladder and making it bleed.

Tests

You have blood tests before and during your treatment. They check your levels of blood cells and other substances in the blood. They also check how well your liver and kidneys are working.

What are the side effects of VAI?

We haven't listed all the side effects. It is very unlikely that you will have all of these side effects, but you might have some of them at the same time.

How often and how severe the side effects are can vary from person to person. They also depend on what other treatment you are having. For example, your side effects could be worse if you are also having other drugs or radiotherapy.

When to contact your team

Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will go through the possible side effects. They will monitor you closely during treatment and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your advice line as soon as possible if:

• you have severe side effects
• your side effects aren’t getting any better
• your side effects are getting worse

Early treatment can help manage side effects better.

Common side effects

These side effects happen in more than 10 in 100 people (more than 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:

Risk of infection

Increased risk of getting an infection is due to a drop in white blood cells. Symptoms include a change in temperature, aching muscles, cough, headaches, feeling cold and shivery, pain or burning feeling when weeing, or generally feeling unwell. You might have other symptoms depending on where the infection is.

Infections can sometimes be life threatening. You should contact your advice line urgently if you think you have an infection. 

Bruising, bleeding gums or nosebleeds

This is due to a drop in the number of platelets in your blood. These blood cells help the blood to clot when we cut ourselves. You may have nosebleeds or bleeding gums after brushing your teeth. Or you may have lots of tiny red spots or bruises on your arms or legs (known as petechiae).

Hair loss

You could lose all your hair. This includes your eyelashes, eyebrows, underarms, legs and sometimes pubic hair. Your hair will usually grow back once treatment has finished but it is likely to be softer. It may grow back a different colour or be curlier than before. 

Inflammation of the bladder

Inflammation of the bladder causes a burning feeling when passing urine and the need to pass urine often. You may see blood in your urine.

Let your doctor or nurse know if this happens and drink plenty of fluids.

Kidney damage

To help prevent kidney damage, it is important to drink plenty of water. You might also have fluids into your vein before, during and after treatment. You have blood tests before your treatments to check how well your kidneys are working.

Feeling or being sick

Feeling or being sick is usually well controlled with anti sickness medicines. It might help to avoid fatty or fried foods, eat small meals and snacks and take regular sips of water. Relaxation techniques might also help.

It is important to take anti sickness medicines as prescribed even if you don’t feel sick. It is easier to prevent sickness rather than treat it once it has started.

Occasional side effects

These side effects happen in between 1 and 10 out of every 100 people (between 1 to 10%). You might have one or more of them. They include:

• loss of appetite
• irritation and pain at the drip site
• changes to how your liver works. You will have blood tests to check how well your liver works.

Rare side effects

These side effects happen in fewer than 1 in 100 people (fewer than 1%). You might have one or more of them. They include: 

• problems with your heart. Some heart problems can be serious or life threatening.
• low blood pressure
• diarrhoea
• sore mouth or mouth ulcers
• feeling very tired

Other side effects

There isn't enough information to work out how often these side effects might happen. You might have one or more of them. They include:

• a serious reaction to an infection. Signs can include feeling very unwell, not passing urine, being sick, a very high or very low temperature or shivering. Contact your advice line straight away if you have any of these symptoms.
• an allergic reaction that can cause a rash, shortness of breath, redness or swelling of the face and dizziness. Some allergic reactions can be life threatening, alert your nurse or doctor if notice any of these symptoms.
• nerve changes causing symptoms such as numbness or tingling in fingers or toes, difficulty swallowing, increased difficulty passing urine and difficulty with walking. You might have sharp or shooting pains.
• breathlessness and looking pale due to a drop in red blood cells (anaemia)
• breathing problems, including feeling short of breath or inflammation of the lungs
• swelling underneath the skin which comes on quickly, often on the face, tongue or arms and legs
• an itchy red rash (hives)
• breakdown of tumour cells which can cause high levels of uric acid and other substances in your body
• changes to the levels of minerals and salts in your body, including low levels of calcium in the blood
• feeling very thirsty
• fits (seizures)
• feeling dizzy or like everything is spinning around you
• changes in your mental state including feeling confused, over active and excited, panicky or thinking and feeling under threat
• problems with your eyes such as vision worsening or itchy or irritated eyes
• hearing problems such as ringing in your ears (tinnitus), partial or total deafness
• high blood pressure
• periods stopping or early menopause
• fever or chills
• constipation or bowels not working
• pain in different parts of the body such as the tummy (abdomen), jaw, back and muscles
• ulcer in the stomach or bowels
• a sore throat
• weight loss
• some of the veins in the liver becoming blocked. This may cause liver damage and can be life threatening.
• a build up of fluid in your tummy (abdomen)
• a second cancer such as leukaemia. Talk to your doctor if this concerns you.

If you have side effects that aren't listed on this page, you can look at the individual drug pages:

• vincristine
• actinomycin D
• ifosfamide

Coping with side effects

We have more information about side effects and tips on how to cope with them.

What else do you need to know?

Other medicines, foods and drink

Cancer drugs can interact with medicines, herbal products, and some food and drinks. We are unable to list all the possible interactions that may happen. An example is grapefruit or grapefruit juice which can increase the side effects of certain drugs.

Tell your healthcare team about any medicines you are taking. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over the counter remedies. Also let them know about any other medical conditions or allergies you may have.

Loss of fertility

You may not be able to become pregnant or get someone pregnant after treatment with this drug. Talk to your doctor before starting treatment if you think you may want to have a baby in the future.

Men might be able to store sperm before starting treatment. And women might be able to store eggs or ovarian tissue. But these services are not available in every hospital, so you would need to ask your doctor about this.    

Contraception and pregnancy

This drug may harm a baby developing in the womb. It is important not to become pregnant or get someone pregnant while you are having treatment with this drug and for at least 7 months afterwards.

Talk to your doctor or nurse about effective contraception before starting treatment. Let them know straight away if you or your partner become pregnant while having treatment.

Breastfeeding

Don’t breastfeed during this treatment because the drug may come through into your breast milk.

Treatment for other conditions

If you are having tests or treatment for anything else, always mention your cancer treatment. For example, if you are visiting your dentist.

Immunisations

Don’t have immunisations with live vaccines while you’re having treatment and for up to 12 months afterwards. The length of time depends on the treatment you are having. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long you should avoid live vaccinations.

In the UK, live vaccines include rubella, mumps, measles, BCG, yellow fever and one of the shingles vaccines called Zostavax.

You can have:

• other vaccines, but they might not give you as much protection as usual
• the flu vaccine (as an injection)
• the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine - talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the best time to have it in relation to your cancer treatment

Members of your household who are aged 5 years or over are also able to have the COVID-19 vaccine. This is to help lower your risk of getting COVID-19 while having cancer treatment and until your immune system recovers from treatment.

Contact with others who have had immunisations - You can be in contact with other people who have had live vaccines as injections. Avoid close contact with people who have recently had live vaccines taken by mouth (oral vaccines) such as the oral typhoid vaccine. Sometimes people who have had the live shingles vaccine can get a shingles type rash. If this happens they should keep the area covered.

If your immune system is severely weakened, you should avoid contact with children who have had the flu vaccine as a nasal spray as this is a live vaccine. This is for 2 weeks following their vaccination.

Babies have the live rotavirus vaccine. The virus is in the baby’s poo for about 2 weeks and could make you ill if your immunity is low. Get someone else to change their nappies during this time if you can. If this isn't possible, wash your hands well after changing their nappy.

More information about this treatment

For further information about this treatment and possible side effects go to the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) website. You can find the patient information leaflet on this website.

You can report any side effect you have to the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA) as part of their Yellow Card Scheme.