European journal of cancer : official journal for European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) [and] European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Tropisetron compared with a metoclopramide-based regimen in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
This randomised, open, parallel group study compared the antiemetic efficacy and tolerability of tropisetron with metoclopramide plus lorazepam in 102 patients receiving a first course of non-cisplatin-containing chemotherapy. Control of acute vomiting by tropisetron was significantly superior to that of the metoclopramide regimen, with total control (no vomiting) in 45% of 51 patients in the tropisetron group compared with 22% of 51 patients in the metoclopramide group (P = 0.013); total and partial control (< 5 vomits) occurred in 67 and 47% of patients, respectively (P = 0.044). The incidences of acute nausea and of delayed nausea and emesis were similar in the two treatment groups. ⋯ One patient in the metoclopramide group reported confusion and tremor thought to be related to the antiemetic therapy. Tropisetron is an effective and well-tolerated agent in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced vomiting. The control of acute nausea was similar in the two treatment groups, but tropisetron was superior to a metoclopramide-based regimen in the control of acute vomiting.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Efficacy and tolerability of tropisetron in comparison with a combination of tropisetron and dexamethasone in the control of nausea and vomiting induced by cisplatin-containing chemotherapy.
In a double-blind, randomised, multicentre study, the efficacy and tolerability of tropisetron and a combination of tropisetron and dexamethasone were compared for the control of nausea and vomiting induced by cisplatin in patients previously not entirely protected by tropisetron monotherapy. In all, 160 women with gynaecological cancers were studied during two consecutive courses of cisplatin-containing chemotherapy. During the first course (the screening course), all patients received tropisetron monotherapy [5 mg intravenous (i.v.) on day 1 and 5 mg orally on days 2-6] as antiemetic treatment. ⋯ Tropisetron was well tolerated both as monotherapy and in combination with dexamethasone. The most frequent adverse events were headache (34%), constipation (12.5%) and fatigue (12.5%). Adding high doses of a corticosteroid did not induce further adverse events or disregulate concurrent diseases.
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Review Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Scalp cooling has no place in the prevention of alopecia in adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.
35 patients were studied to determine the effectiveness of scalp hypothermia in the prevention of alopecia caused by adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Scalp hypothermia was induced by the newly developed Theracool cooling machine. The chemotherapeutic regimen consisted of one perioperative course of doxorubicin 50 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil 600 mg/m2 (EORTC protocol 10854). ⋯ No scalp metastases were observed after scalp cooling. These results and a review of the literature suggest that scalp hypothermia to prevent alopecia may only be effective in a cytotoxic regimen containing an anthracycline as the sole alopecia-inducing agent. With current adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, in which a combination of cyclophosphamide and an anthracycline is often used, there is no place for scalp hypothermia.