title: Crossover comparison of the antiemetic efficacy of nabilone and alizapride in patients with nonseminomatous testicular cancer receiving cisplatin therapy.
abstract: Twenty nonseminomatous testicular cancer patients not pretreated with emetogenic chemotherapy were included in a crossover study of antiemetic therapy. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either nabilone (2 X 2 mg/day) or alizapride (3 X 150 mg/day) prior to beginning low-dose cisplatin chemotherapy. Patients on nabilone had significantly fewer episodes of emesis than those on alizapride (medians, 1.1 vs 2.9; p less than 0.01). Nabilone was superior to alizapride in giving complete relief from nausea (medians, 65% vs 30%; p less than 0.01), and was more effective in shortening the duration of nausea (medians, 1.3 h vs 5.1 h; p less than 0.01); however, it caused more adverse effects. It is concluded that nabilone has greater antiemetic activity than alizapride in young patients receiving low-dose cisplatin chemotherapy. Nabilone dosage should be reduced to decrease the incidence and degree of adverse reactions while leaving the definite antiemetic activity unchanged.
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000932:Antiemetics; D011759:Pyrrolidines; C011941:nabilone; D013759:Dronabinol; C033968:alizapride; D002945:Cisplatin