March Net Guide: Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting

//THE EDUCATED PATIENT™

Recipes for Difficult Days

Blueberry muffins and couscous salad are among the easy-to-prepare meals featured in the “Recipes” section of the site for Emend (aprepitant), a drug administered in capsule and injection formulations that blocks vomiting signals from the brain, and thus helps prevent CINV. The recipes are sorted according to ingredients, as well as conditions and symptoms. For instance, recommended meals for the day of chemotherapy are low-fat and light. And while eating may be the last thing on a patient’s mind, foods such as apple bread pudding may help the patient cope with nausea and vomiting. Recipes for Difficult Days

//NEWS BRIEF

Soligenix Taps Pioneer in CINV Treatment

Soligenix, Inc, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on treating side effects from cancer treatments, has appointed Kevin Horgan, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer. Horgan, a board-certified gastroenterologist, is joining the West Windsor, NJ, company after more than 25 years in academic and pharmaceutical industry settings. He has a research background in cellular immunology and experience in the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. While with Merck & Co, Inc, Horgan led the development of the first neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, Emend, which was approved for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in 2003. Soligenix

//ONLINE CME

Prevention and Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Improving Patient Care and Quality of Life

CREDITS: 1.25

FEE: None

EXPIRES: Oct. 11, 2011

This activity consists of 3 sections to showcase management strategies for CINV. From the physician’s perspective, Lee S. Schwartzberg, MD, clinical professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, College of Medicine, and medical director of The West Clinic, reviews the most effective management strategies. Sally Y. Barbour, PharmD, clinical oncology pharmacist at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, North Carolina, highlights the pharmacist’s role in mitigating CINV. And Regina S. Cunningham, PhD, RN, senior director of Oncology at The Tisch Cancer Institute, New York, New York, reviews the essential role oncology nurses play in preventing and managing the distressing side effects. Online CME

//CLINICAL TRIAL

Aloxi for Prevention of Acute and Delayed Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV) in Malignant Glioma (MG) Patients Receiving Irinotecan With Bevacizumab STUDY TYPE: Interventional

AGE/SEX REQUIREMENTS: ≥18 years (none)

SPONSOR: Duke University

CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT00636805

PURPOSE: This study seeks to determine the efficacy and tolerability of palonosetron (Aloxi) and dexamethasone in preventing acute CINV in brain tumor patients during the first 24 hours of receiving irinotecan/bevacizumab regimens. The study’s secondary aims are to determine the safety and tolerability of palonosetron in brain tumor patients; to measure the effects of glucocorticoids and anticonvulsants on the efficacy of palonosetron; to find the efficacy of palonosetron and dexamethasone in preventing delayed CINV in brain tumor patients during days 2 through 5; and to determine if patients receiving palonosetron have less fatigue than baseline. The completion date is July 2012. Clinical Trial