Aprepitant plus palonosetron as salvage therapy for CINV induced by moderately emetogenic chemotherapy in cancer patients

Abstract

Background Despite the efficacy of prophylaxis with serotonin type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists, nausea and vomiting are still among the most common chemotherapy-induced toxicities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of adding aprepitant in patients with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) refractory to prophylaxis with 5-HT3 receptor antagonists and dexamethasone. Patients and Methods Between January 2008 and November 2010, 51 patients (median age 59 years) with a variety of malignancies (breast cancer: 23; lung cancer: 12; sarcoma: 6; ovarian cancer: 3; other: 7) were enrolled. All patients were refractory to antiemetic therapy according to ASCO guidelines and developed at least grade 2 nausea and/or vomiting after the first chemotherapy course. Aprepitant was given at 125 mg on day 1 and 80 mg on days 2–3. Patients also received a single dose of palonosetron 250 μg on day 1 plus dexamethasone 12–20 mg at a constant dose. Results After addition of aprepitant, the number of patients with grade 3/4 nausea decreased from 31 (61%) to 4 (8%), and those with grade 2 nausea from 20 (39%) to 6 (12%) [both p<0.0001]. All patients received aprepitant for more then two courses (range 3–8) and efficacy was maintained during all chemotherapy cycles. Conclusions This study showed that aprepitant was effective as salvage therapy in patients with CINV refractory to prophylaxis with 5-HT3 receptor antagonists and dexamethasone following platinum- or nonplatinum-based chemotherapy, and that the efficacy of aprepitant persists over multiple cycles.