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Palonosetron to prevent nausea and vomiting in children undergoing BMT: efficacy and safety

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 45, pages 1663–1664 (2010)Cite this article

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Chemotherapy and radiotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are frequent, unpleasant side effects of cancer treatment.1, 2 Serotonin receptor antagonists (5-HT3 RAs) partly prevent these effects,3 but their short half-life makes repeated administrations necessary.4

Palonosetron (Aloxi) is a second-generation 5-HT3 RA endowed with stronger affinity for serotonin receptors and longer half-life (>40 h) compared with the preceding 5-HT3 RAs.5 The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for preventing treatment-related emesis in adults with cancer. A single 0.25 mg dose, repeatable after 72 h, proved effective in patients receiving multiple-day chemotherapy.6 Headache was its most common side effect.5 Palonosetron prevented nausea and vomiting in 36% of patients undergoing autologous BMT, whereas in another 26% symptom control was achieved following a second dose.7

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Bruno De Bernardi and Ms Valerie Perricone for revising the paper, and Ms Alessandra Trocino for secretarial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, BMT Unit, Santobono-Pausilipon Hospital, Napoli, Italy

    M Ripaldi, G De Simone & M R D'Amico

  2. Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, Santobono-Pausilipon Hospital, Napoli, Italy

    R Parasole, R Migliorati, G Zanotta, G Loffredo, F Petruzziello & V Poggi

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  1. M Ripaldi
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  2. R Parasole
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  3. G De Simone
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  6. G Zanotta
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  7. G Loffredo
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  9. V Poggi
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Correspondence to R Parasole.

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Ripaldi, M., Parasole, R., De Simone, G. et al. Palonosetron to prevent nausea and vomiting in children undergoing BMT: efficacy and safety. Bone Marrow Transplant 45, 1663–1664 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2010.23

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