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Addition of aprepitant improves protection against cisplatin-induced emesis when a conventional anti-emetic regimen fails

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Abstract

Objective

We investigated whether aprepitant, a neurokinin-1 antagonist, could decrease chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) following cisplatin, when a conventional anti-emetic regimen had failed.

Methods

This was a prospective study (April 2011–April 2012) of patients with lung cancer, treated with cisplatin at the Beijing Cancer Hospital, and initially receiving granisetron, dexamethasone, and metoclopramide as anti-emetics. If patients experienced vomiting of grade ≥2 and required rescue anti-emetic medications during the first cycle, oral aprepitant was added in subsequent cycles (day 1: 125 mg; days 2–3: 80 mg once daily). Acute (day 1) and delayed (days 2–5) nausea and vomiting, use of rescue medications, and occurrence of adverse reactions were monitored after the start of chemotherapy.

Results

Twenty-five of 132 patients (18.9 %) were administered aprepitant for secondary prophylaxis against emesis during the second cycle of chemotherapy. The incidences of acute and delayed nausea were 52 and 100 % in the first cycle, but 8 and 72 % in the second cycle. The incidences of acute and delayed vomiting were 20 and 100 % in the first cycle, but 0 and 36 % in the second cycle. No patients required rescue medications or intravenous rehydration during the second cycle. Aprepitant was not associated with additional adverse events.

Conclusions

In patients with lung cancer receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy, the addition of aprepitant to a 5-HT3 antagonist, dexamethasone, and metoclopramide improves protection against CINV when the conventional anti-emetic regimen fails.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Thoracic Oncology II, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, 100142, China

    Weiheng Hu, Jian Fang, Jun Nie, Ling Dai, Xiaoling Chen, Jie Zhang, Xiangjuan Ma, Guangming Tian & Jindi Han

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  1. Weiheng Hu
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  2. Jian Fang
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Correspondence to Jian Fang.

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Hu, W., Fang, J., Nie, J. et al. Addition of aprepitant improves protection against cisplatin-induced emesis when a conventional anti-emetic regimen fails. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 73, 1129–1136 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-014-2446-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-014-2446-4

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