[Antiemetic effect of timiperone and methylprednisolone in cisplatin-induced emesis].

As we already reported, timiperone, a new neuroleptic agent of the butyrophenone group, has a strong antiemetic effect against cisplatin (CDDP)-induced emesis. With timiperone 6 mg/day p.o. from the day before undergoing CDDP therapy to the last day of the therapy, non-vomiting rate was 80%. The most unfavorable adverse effect of this regimen was extrapyramidal symptoms which appear in almost 100% of the patients aged under forty-five. In this study, we attempted to reduce the dose of timiperone and its adverse effect in combination with low-dose methylprednisolone (MPL). Seventeen cases of urological malignancies with a 5-day course of CDDP (15 approximately 25 mg/m2) including anticancer therapy were entered in this open trial. Four cases aged under forty-five were given timiperone 1.5 mg/day p.o. from the day before undergoing CDDP therapy with MPL 125 mg i.v. immediately before CDDP was administered. Thirteen cases aged over forty-five were given timiperone 3.0 mg/day p.o. with MPL given in the same way. Non-vomiting rates were 47 and 79%, respectively. Extrapyramidal symptoms were seen in two cases of both groups. It was concluded that timiperone 3.0 mg with MPL 125 mg has an antiemetic efficacy comparable to that of timiperone 6.0 mg but with less adverse effects.