[Determination of the Appropriate Timing of Aprepitant Administration for Nausea in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Receiving Combination Chemotherapy with Docetaxel, Nedaplatin（Divided Doses for 5 Days), and 5-fluorouracil].

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to determine the appropriate timing of aprepitant administration in patients with oral cancer by comparing the antiemetic effect of aprepitant administered on the first day (first-day group) and third day (third-day group) of combination chemotherapy with docetaxel, nedaplatin (divided doses for 5 days), and 5-fluorouracil. 1. In both groups, very few cases of vomiting were observed. Therefore, we could not compare the incidence of vomiting. 2. The mean highest grade of nausea in the third-day group was significantly higher than that in the first-day group (2.33±0.71 vs 0.78±0.22, p=0.002; U-test). 3. In addition, the mean area under the curve of the chronological changes in the grade of nausea in the third-day group was significantly higher than that in the first-day group (13.44±9.58 vs 3.11±3.59, p=0.019; U-test). 4. The incidence of nausea of grade 2 or higher in the first-day group was significantly lower than that in the third-day group (11.1% [1/9] vs 88.9% [8/9], p<0.001; c 2 test). These results indicate that initiation of aprepitant administration on the first day of combination chemotherapy with docetaxel, nedaplatin, and 5-fluorouracil successfully prevented the development of nausea in patients with oral cancer.