Aprepitant relieves chemotherapy-induced inappetance in colorectal cancer patients in the acute phase of mod-erate emetogenic chemotherapy: An observational study based on self-report diaries

Background: The novel drugs aprepitant (APR) and palonosetron are recommended for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Here, we assessed the effects of these antiemetics using a self-report diary. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study based on data from 87 patients prospectively collected in 222 self-report diaries. We assessed the effect of vomiting and nausea on the patients’ quality-of-life, and food and water intake. A “no event” was treated as a favorable outcome. We compared the rates of no event between the first course of chemotherapy and subsequent courses, as well as among the different emetogenic risks and post-chemotherapy phases. We also studied the effect of APR in a subgroup of colorectal cancer patients receiving moderate emetogenic chemotherapy. Results: Nearly 90% of patients reported that the vomiting and nausea did not affect their quality-of-life; however, the rate of normal food intake was only 30%-40%. Colorectal cancer patients receiving APR demonstrated a significantly higher rate of normal food intake during the first chemotherapy course than those who did not receive this drug. Conclusions: APR could relieve this chemotherapy-induced inappetance in colorectal cancer patients in the first course and acute phase of moderate emetogenic chemo-