[Preventive effect of aprepitant, an oral NK₁ receptor antagonist, on acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting for colorectal cancer].

A standard therapeutic regimen of a 5-HT₃ receptor antagonist antiemetic agent+dexamethasone was administered as antiemetic therapy for 29 patients who received chemotherapy for colorectal cancer in the Department of Surgery at Gunma Saiseikai Maebashi Hospital, from January to March 2010. For 13 patients with delayed nausea, the therapy was changed to an aprepitant regimen (aprepitant+5-HT₃ receptor antagonist antiemetic agent+dexamethasone)to evaluate the preventive effect of aprepitant on acute and delayed nausea and vomiting. This aprepitant regimen produced a significant improvement in the primary endpoint, based on a complete response (CR) of no vomiting and no rescue treatment throughout the administration period, and in the secondary endpoint of CR in the delayed phase, with no delayed nausea. In addition, a tendency for improvement was found in other secondary endpoints: complete protection (CP) based on no vomiting, no rescue treatment, and no significant nausea throughout the observation period; no vomiting; and no significant nausea. These findings suggest that using aprepitant as an antiemetic therapy during chemotherapy for colorectal cancer may be effective for patients with nausea and vomiting that are intractable to standard therapeutic regimens.