Palliative cancer patients with tumor pain often suffer from nausea and vomiting when starting pain therapy with opioids. The objective of the clinical pilot trial is to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of palonosetron in the prophylactic treatment of opioid-induced nausea and vomiting.
Pain is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms in patients with advanced cancer and opioids are the main stay of treatment for cancer pain. However, initiation of opioid-therapy is frequently hindered by OINV. OINV is a highly distressing symptom and can affect medication compliance, enteral absorption, and quality of life.This Phase II feasibility study is conducted to assess the feasibility of the prophylactic antiemetic treatment of OINV with palonosetron in comparison to placebo. The objective is to investigate the feasibility of patient recruitment and implementation of the study design as well as to obtain an initial estimate of the antiemetic efficacy and safety of prophylactic treatment of OINV with palonosetron compared to placebo. A total of 30 palliative patients starting an opioid-therapy (WHO II \& III) for cancer pain will be randomly assigned to receive either a single dose of placebo or palonosetron. Safety and efficiency assessment are based on patient reports regarding OINV, pain and safety parameters during the following 6 days.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
30
Palonosetron (500µg): single dose per os 1-2 hours before the start of opioid-therapy (WHO II \& III)
Placebo: single dose per os 1-2 hours before the start of opioid-therapy (WHO II \& III)
Clinic for Palliative Care, Medical Center, University of Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Feasibility of the study design
Rates of patient recruitment per month, screening failures, drop-out from the trial.
Time frame: 12 months
Number of patients who show no relevant increase of nausea
Number of patients who show no relevant increase of nausea after starting opioid therapy at any of the following 6 days. Nausea scores are assessed on an increasing 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) from 0 to 10, 0 meaning that the symptom is absent and 10 that it is of the worst possible severity according to the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Schedule (ESAS). Relevant is an increase on this NRS ≥1, which reflects the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for nausea
Time frame: day 1 to day 6
Complete response of OINV
Complete response defined as no emetic episodes, no nausea, no rescue anti-emetic. Comparing Palonosetron treatment with placebo
Time frame: day 1 to day 6
Time to OINV
Time to emetic episodes or nausea or rescue antiemetic after randomisation, comparing Palonosetron treatment with placebo
Time frame: day 1 to day 6
Nausea
Occurrence and severity of nausea rated by the participants on a 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS), comparing Palonosetron treatment with placebo. Nausea scores are assessed on an increasing 11-point numerical scale from 0 to 10, 0 meaning that the symptom is absent and 10 that it is of the worst possible severity according to the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Schedule (ESAS).
Time frame: day 1 to day 6
Vomiting
Occurrence of vomiting, comparing Palonosetron treatment with placebo
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Time frame: day 1 to day 6
Pain control
Daily opioid intake and pain score rated by the participants on a 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS). Pain scores are assessed on an increasing 11-point numerical scale from 0 to 10, 0 meaning that the symptom is absent and 10 that it is of the worst possible severity according to the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Schedule (ESAS)
Time frame: day 1 to day 6
Rescue anti-emetics
The use of rescue anti-emetics, comparing Palonosetron treatment with placebo
Time frame: day 1 to day 6
Participant's burden by nausea, pain, constipation and headache
Assessed by a questionnaire: Patients are asked to assign the burden of their symptoms to one of 4 categories: not at all, a little, strongly, extremely strongly
Time frame: day 1 to day 6
Severity of constipation
Stool consistency and frequency, bowel function index (BFI)
Time frame: day1 and day 6
Symptom preferences
Patients were asked to rank 5 possible symptoms (tumor pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache) from their most undesired to their most acceptable symptom. Rated by the participants at day 6 and compared to baseline.
Time frame: day1 and day 6
Percentage of participants reporting any grade 3 adverse event (AE) or any serious adverse event (SAE) from patients from the time of the signed ICF to the end of the study.
An adverse event (AE) is any untoward medical occurrence in a patient or clinical investigation subject administered a pharmaceutical product and which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment. An adverse event (AE) can therefore be any unfavourable and unintended sign (including an abnormal laboratory finding), symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal (investigational) product, whether or not related to the medicinal (investigational) product. An SAE is any untoward medical occurrence that at any dose results in death, is life-threatening, requires inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity or is a congenital anomaly/birth defect.
Time frame: day 1 to day 6
Patient satisfaction with the study drug
Patients are asked to rate speed of action of the study drug received, the satisfaction with the overall control of nausea and emesis using 4 categories (very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, very dissatisfied) and the and willingness to use the study drug again (yes, no, unknown). Rated by the participants at day 6.
Time frame: day 6