Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 9, 1268-1274, Copyright © 1991 by American Society of Clinical Oncology

ARTICLES

Evaluation of three oral dosages of ondansetron in the prevention of nausea and emesis associated with cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin chemotherapy

G Fraschini, A Ciociola, L Esparza, D Templeton, FA Holmes, RS Walters and GN Hortobagyi
Department of Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.

We assessed the antiemetic efficacy and safety of three different oral doses of ondansetron (GR 38032F), a novel serotonin type-3 receptor antagonist, in three consecutive series of 20 breast cancer patients receiving cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-based chemotherapy for the first time. Patients received oral doses of 8 mg, 4 mg, or 1 mg of ondansetron three times daily for 2 days, with the first dose given 30 minutes before the cyclophosphamide infusion. We then evaluated the efficacy of a conventional antiemetic regimen of intravenous lorazepam, metoclopramide, and diphenhydramine given before chemotherapy and 10 mg prochlorperazine given orally twice on study day 1 and three times on study day 2 in a fourth series of 20 patients with comparable characteristics. The number of emetic episodes, assessment of nausea and appetite, and adverse events were recorded throughout the 2-day study period. Pretreatment and posttreatment clinical laboratory data were also collected. No emesis was observed during the 2-day study period in 17 (85%), 13 (65%), and 11 (55%) patients treated with 8-mg, 4-mg, and 1-mg ondansetron doses, respectively, and in seven (35%) patients who received conventional therapy. The incidence and intensity of nausea were lower with increasing doses of ondansetron and were lower than in the conventional group. Ondansetron-related side effects were generally mild and reversible and did not appear to increase in a dose-dependent manner. These effects included headache, stomach cramps, diarrhea, fatigue, and elevated serum transaminase concentrations. One patient who received three 1 mg doses of ondansetron experienced tremors and muscle twitching. Oral ondansetron is an effective and safe antiemetic for patients receiving noncisplatin cyclophosphamide- doxorubicin-based chemotherapy, and its antiemetic activity appears to be dose-related.
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