RESUMO
The cisplatin split regimen has not been sufficiently well investigated to validate the use of aprepitant as a prophylactic antiemetic. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of repeated administrations of 3-day courses of aprepitant according to the cisplatin split regimen (20mg/m² day, days 1-4, 22-25, 43-46) in combination with radiation. We compared the worst Grade of nausea between 23 patients with head and neck cancer who had been administered with aprepitant (group A: between January 2010 and June 2010) and 34-patients who were not administered with aprepitant (group B: between July 2011 and December 2012). In group A, the median age was 60 years (range, 35-73 years), the male/ female ratio was 18: 5, and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) was 0 in 20 patients and 1 in 3 patients. In group B, the median age was 62 years (range, 31-71 years), the male/female ratio was 30: 4, and the ECOG PS was 0 in 31 patients and 1 in 3 patients. The worst nausea grade was 0, 1, and 2 in 21, 2, and 0 patients in group A and in 19, 9, and 6 patients in group B, respectively. The proportion of patients who developed nausea was significantly lower in group A than in group B (8% vs 44%, p<0.01). Of 6 patients who experienced Grade 2 nausea, 5 patients were administered with aprepitant during the next course of chemotherapy, and 60% of them had a lower severity of nausea. Thus, aprepitant could be effectively used as a prophylactic antiemetic in the cisplatin split regimen.