# Treatment of Refractory Nausea

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2021 · $215,985

## Abstract

Abstract
Despite the provision of antiemetic agents in accordance with published American Society of Clinical Oncology
(ASCO) guidelines, chemotherapy-related nausea remains a clinically significant issue that is rated by
patients as a greater problem than chemotherapy-related vomiting. Nausea following treatment is
three times more likely to occur than vomiting. Primary Aim 1 of this study examines whether control of
nausea in patients who experienced chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) following their initial
chemotherapy despite receiving the appropriate ASCO-recommended antiemetics can be improved by the
addition of either prochlorperazine (Compazine®) or olanzapine (Zyprexa®) on days 1-4. Current ASCO
guidelines for refractory CINV suggest that oncologists consider adding olanzapine (Zyprexa®) or a dopamine
antagonist such as prochlorperazine (Compazine®) to the antiemetic regimen, but these are only two of many
possible strategies for control of refractory CINV, none of which has been empirically tested. Primary Aim 2
will test whether olanzapine, which is a newer, more expensive antiemetic drug than prochlorperazine, is more
effective than prochlorperazine in controlling nausea when used in combination with aprepitant,
palonosetron and dexamethasone. This study follows up on the most recent of our five multicenter CINV
studies.
 We will also address an additional problem regarding control of chemotherapy-related nausea. That is
the lack of empirically-based models predicting chemotherapy-induced nausea from common moderately or
highly emetogenic chemotherapeutic agents that take into account not only receipt of a state-of-the-art
antiemetic regimen but also patient factors such as age, race, ethnicity, alcohol consumption, expectancy,
anxiety, degree of nausea on the morning prior to treatment, and prior history of nausea. This prediction
model will be an important addition to the antiemetic guidelines.
 The proposed study consists of two parts with screening and some assessments occurring at Cycle 1 and
the randomized portion of the study (N = 334) occurring at Cycle 2. At Cycle 1, we will consent chemotherapy
naïve breast cancer patients about to begin one of four specified chemotherapy regimens with high/moderate
emetogenic potential and scheduled to receive an antiemetic regimen that conforms to ASCO Clinical Practice
Guidelines. We anticipate needing to consent approximately 800 patients at Cycle 1 to meet our Cycle 2 target
number. The Cycle 2 portion will be conducted in those patients who experienced moderate or greater nausea
at Cycle 1. It will be a Phase III randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, 2-arm study (N = 334) that
builds upon our prior CINV studies and investigates optimal control of CINV in patients who experienced
CINV following initial chemotherapy. This study will be implemented by the University of Rochester Cancer
Center (URCC) NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Base that...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10214554
- **Project number:** 5R01CA200579-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Luke Joseph Peppone
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $215,985
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10214554

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10214554, Treatment of Refractory Nausea (5R01CA200579-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10214554. Licensed CC0.

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