BioMed Research International Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting Guest Editors: Bernardo Leon Rapoport, Alexander Molasiotis, Haralambos Raftopoulos, and Fausto Roila Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting BioMed Research International Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting Guest Editors: Bernardo Leon Rapoport, Alexander Molasiotis, Haralambos Raftopoulos, and Fausto Roila Copyright © 2015 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. This is a special issue published in “BioMed Research International.” All articles are open access articles distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Contents Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting, Bernardo Leon Rapoport, Alexander Molasiotis, Haralambos Raftopoulos, and Fausto Roila Volume 2015, Article ID 457326, 2 pages Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting in Patients Undergoing Oral Anticancer Therapies for Solid Tumors,AnaLucia´ Costa, Catarina Abreu, Teresa Raquel Pacheco, Daniela Macedo, Ana Rita Sousa, Catarina Pulido, Antonio´ Quintela, and Lu´ıs Costa Volume 2015, Article ID 309601, 7 pages A Randomized, Double-Blind Pilot Study of Dose Comparison of Ramosetron to Prevent Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting, Ka-Rham Kim, Gaeun Kang, Myung-Seo Ki, Hyun-Jeong Shim, Jun-Eul Hwang, Woo-Kyun Bae, Ik-Joo Chung, Jong-Keun Kim, Seongwook Jeong, and Sang-Hee Cho Volume 2015, Article ID 523601, 7 pages Management of Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Patients on Multiday Cisplatin Based Combination Chemotherapy, Praveen Ranganath, Lawrence Einhorn, and Costantine Albany Volume 2015, Article ID 943618, 8 pages A Review of NEPA, a Novel Fixed Antiemetic Combination with the Potential for Enhancing Guideline Adherence and Improving Control of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting,PaulJ.Hesketh, Matti Aapro, Karin Jordan, Lee Schwartzberg, Snezana Bosnjak, and Hope Rugo Volume 2015, Article ID 651879, 12 pages Efficacy of Olanzapine Combined Therapy for Patients Receiving Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy Resistant to Standard Antiemetic Therapy, Masakazu Abe, Yuka Kasamatsu, Nobuhiro Kado, Shiho Kuji, Aki Tanaka, Nobutaka Takahashi, Munetaka Takekuma, and Yasuyuki Hirashima Volume 2015, Article ID 956785, 6 pages Prophylactic Management of Radiation-Induced Nausea and Vomiting,PetraFeyer,FranziskaJahn, and Karin Jordan Volume 2015, Article ID 893013, 8 pages Treatment of Breakthrough and Refractory Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting, Rudolph M. Navari Volume 2015, Article ID 595894, 6 pages Biological and Pharmacological Aspects of the NK1-Receptor, Susana Garcia-Recio and Pedro Gascon´ Volume 2015, Article ID 495704, 14 pages Hindawi Publishing Corporation BioMed Research International Volume 2015, Article ID 457326, 2 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/457326 Editorial Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting Bernardo Leon Rapoport,1 Alexander Molasiotis,2 Haralambos Raftopoulos,3 and Fausto Roila4 1 The Medical Oncology Center of Rosebank, Saxonwold, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa 2School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 3Merck & Co., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA 4MedicalOncology,SantaMariaHospital,Terni,Italy Correspondence should be addressed to Bernardo Leon Rapoport; [email protected] Received 15 June 2015; Accepted 15 June 2015 Copyright © 2015 Bernardo Leon Rapoport et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In the past two decades, significant advances have been made The current antiemetic guidelines (MASCC/ESMO, ASCO, in the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and and NCCN) endorse triple therapy treatment for patients vomiting (CINV). These advances are primarily due to a receiving cisplatin- and AC-based chemotherapy regimes [6– greater understanding of the physiological and molecular 8]. pathways underlying CINV,which resulted in major progress The current special issue includes several reviews includ- in the management of patients with CINV. ing the biology and pharmacology of the NK1 receptor and In the early 1990s, CINV treatment consisted of dex- substance P, the antiemetic management of germ cell tumor amethasone [1]. Improvements in the management of patients undergoing multiple days’ chemotherapy treatment, CINV control were achieved with the discovery of 5- radiotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (RINV), CINV hydroxytryptamine (5HT3) receptor and the development of induced by oral cytotoxic agents and targeted therapies in 5HT3 receptor antagonists (RA). This pathway is primarily patients undergoing treatment for solid tumors, adherence to involved in the acute phase of CINV. Subsequent studies CINV guidelines and the benefits of NEPA (a new agent con- demonstrated that the usage of the combination of 5HT3 RA sisting of a combination of netupitant and palonosetron), and and dexamethasone resulted in additional improvements in the treatment of breakthrough and refractory chemotherapy- CINV control [2, 3]. induced nausea and vomiting. Additionally, 2 original clinical Over the last decade, the discovery of the neurokinin-1 papers are presented investigating the ramosetron and olan- receptor antagonists (NK1-RA) and its role in the pathogen- zapine in the management of CINV. esis of delayed phase of CINV has led to significant develop- The review article by S. Garcia and P. Gascon provides an ments in the management of this complication of anticancer extensive overview of the basic knowledge of the NK1 recep- treatment. More importantly, these milestone achievements tor and substance P biology and the pharmacological basis of are significant and resulted in an improvement in anticancer the usage of NK1 receptor antagonists in the management of treatment compliance, as well as an improvement in the delayed phase of CINV. quality of life of patients diagnosed with cancer. The 5-HT3 receptor antagonists play an important role Despite these achievements, nausea, in particular, and in the pathogenesis of the acute phase of CINV. K.-R. vomiting remain a clinically significant problem for patients Kim et al. presented a pilot study with the potential usage receivingbothhighlyemetogenicchemotherapy(HEC)and of ramosetron, a tetrahydrobenzimidazole derivative struc- moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC). Seventy per- turally independent of the previously developed 5-HT3 cent of patients treated with cisplatin-based HEC will achieve receptor antagonists, such as ondansetron, granisetron, and an overall antiemetic complete response when managed with tropisetron. a triple therapy consisting of a NK1 RA aprepitant in combi- Patients with germ cell tumor undergoing 5 days of nation with a 5HT3 RA and corticosteroids prophylaxis [4, 5]. cisplatin-based chemotherapy have a different mechanism 2 BioMed Research International and pattern of CINV compared to those receiving single day References chemotherapy. The efficacy of antiemetic drugs, as observed in single day chemotherapy, is therefore not applicable. In [1] M. S. Aapro and D. S. Alberts, “Dexamethasone as an antiemetic this issue, P. Ranganath et al. from Indiana University discuss in patients treated with cisplatin,” The New England Journal of Medicine,vol.305,no.9,article520,1981. current recommendations and future directions for patients undergoing multiple day treatment. [2] G. Falkson and A. J. van Zyl, “A phase I study of a new 5HT3- receptor antagonist, BRL43694A, an agent for the preven- Depending on the site of irradiation, dosing, fraction- tion of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting,” Cancer ation, irradiated volume, and radiotherapy techniques, the Chemotherapy and Pharmacology,vol.24,no.3,pp.193–196, incidence of nausea and vomiting after radiotherapy is 1989. approximately 50–80%. RINV is a very important and not [3]D.B.Smith,E.S.Newlands,O.W.Spruytetal.,“Ondansetron well researched area often underestimated by physicians. (GR38032F) plus dexamethasone: effective anti-emetic prophy- K. Jordan et al. include an overview of RINV and current laxis for patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy,” British guidelines recommendations as well as future directions. Journal of Cancer,vol.61,no.2,pp.323–324,1990. The treatment of nausea and vomiting caused by oral [4] P. J. Hesketh, S. M. Grunberg, R. J. Gralla et al., “The antineoplastic agents is primarily empirical, consisting of the oral neurokinin-1 antagonist aprepitant for the prevention of administration of daily oral antiemetic therapy. The level of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a multinational, evidence of prophylactic antiemetics recommended for these randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients agents is low. A. L. Costa et al. discuss the management receiving high-dose cisplatin—the aprepitant protocol 052 of CINV induced by oral cytotoxic agents and targeted study group,” Journal of Clinical Oncology,vol.21,no.22,pp. therapies in patients undergoing treatment for solid tumors. 4112–4119, 2003. This article highlights the differences in the classification of [5] S. Poli-Bigelli, J. Rodrigues-Pereira, A. D. Carides et al., “Addi- emetogenic potential of oral antineoplastic agents between tion of the neurokinin 1 receptor antagonist aprepitant to stan- the different international guidelines, as well as different dard antiemetic therapy improves control