Intravenous metoclopramide: prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. A preliminary evaluation.

The authors tested the safety and efficacy of intravenous metoclopramide in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Those studied included hospitalized patients receiving their initial treatment with potent, emetogenic non-cisplatin-containing regimens, and outpatients receiving both their initial and maintenance non-cisplatin-containing chemotherapy. Fifty patients received metoclopramide with one or more of three intravenous metoclopramide dosage schedules, based on whether they received their chemotherapy on an inpatient or outpatient basis. Of the 50 patients treated, 39 (78%) achieved total protection (no emesis), and 9 (18%) attained major antiemetic protection (one or two emeses) when all dosage schedules of metoclopramide were combined. Therefore, total or major antiemetic protection was observed in 48 of 50 patients (96%) receiving a broad range of potentially emetogenic chemotherapy. Antiemetic protection was shown not to depend on the schedule of metoclopramide dosing used, but rather on the emetic potential of the chemotherapeutic agents or combinations employed. In addition, previously treated patients in whom chemotherapy-related nausea or vomiting had posed a significant problem in the past, were shown to have an overall lower incidence of total antiemetic and antinausea protection as compared with patients who were previously untreated or did not experience emesis with prior chemotherapy. Thirty patients experienced no nausea or vomiting with intravenous metoclopramide; in the 20 patients who experienced nausea, its incidence was shown to be directly proportional to the emetic potential of the chemotherapy agents employed. Side effects were dose-related, however none were serious enough to warrant drug withdrawal. It is concluded that intravenous metoclopramide possesses significant antiemetic activity in patients receiving potent, non-cisplatin-containing chemotherapy. The dosage and scheduling required to provide total protection against nausea and vomiting appears to be dependent on the inherent emetic potency of the chemotherapy used. Further studies involving large numbers of patients are required to determine the optimal dosage and scheduling of this agent.