Sleep protects against chemotherapy induced emesis.
BACKGROUND
We present a clinical trial to assess the hypothesis that chemotherapy related emesis is reduced when drugs delivered while the patient is sleeping.


METHODS
Adults without previous sleep disturbances of vomit inducing conditions who were going to receive their first courses of 100 mg/m2 cisplatin were included. We reduced antiemetic prophylaxis consisting of ondansetron and dexamethasone in subsequent groups of patients.


RESULTS
Twenty-one individuals were needed to decrease the antiemetic prophylaxis to zero. Significant vomiting was observed only when prophylaxis was abolished but not in previous steps employing negligible doses of prophylaxis.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data show that when cisplatin is administered during sleep, the reduction of antiemetic prophylaxis id not followed by the expected increase in emetic toxicity. This antiemetic property of sleep is, as far as we know, unassessed in a controlled way. Further study of the clinical utility of this method in the prevention of chemotherapy related emesis is indicated.
Domínguez-Ortega
L
L
Internal Medicine Department, Hospital 12 de Octubre Madrid, Spain.
Cubedo-Cervera
R
R
Cortés-Funés
H
H
Díaz-Gállego
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017294:Ondansetron / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000932:Antiemetics; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D017294:Ondansetron; D003907:Dexamethasone; D002945:Cisplatin