Olanzapine for prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in children and adolescents: a multi-center, feasibility study

ContextThere are no prospective pediatric trials evaluating olanzapine for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) prevention.ObjectiveThis study evaluated the feasibility of a trial of olanzapine to evaluate the contribution of olanzapine to CINV control in pediatric oncology patients.MethodsPatients < 18 years receiving CINV prophylaxis with ondansetron/granisetron/palonosetron ± dexamethasone ± aprepitant were eligible to participate in this prospective, single-arm, open-label study. All patients received olanzapine (0.14 mg/kg/dose; max 10 mg/dose) once daily orally starting before the first chemotherapy dose and continuing for up to four doses after the last chemotherapy administration. A future trial was considered feasible if mean time to enroll 15 patients was ≤ 12 months/site, ≥ 12/15 took at least half of the planned olanzapine doses, and ≤ 3/15 experienced significant sedation or dizziness despite dose reduction. The proportion of children who experienced complete CINV control (no nausea, vomiting, or retching) was described.ResultsFifteen patients (range 4.1–17.4 years) participated; mean recruitment period was 9.3 months/site. All patients took at least half of the planned olanzapine doses. Six patients experienced sedation which resolved with olanzapine dose reduction (N = 5) or bedtime administration (N = 1). Olanzapine was stopped in one patient with blurry vision and in another with increased plasma GGT values. In both the acute and delayed phases, eight patients experienced complete control of vomiting but almost all (14/15) had nausea.ConclusionA pediatric trial of olanzapine for CINV control is feasible. Our findings will inform the design of a future study.