Time-Trend Analysis and Risk Factors for Niraparib-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Ovarian Cancer: A Prospective Study

Nausea and vomiting are major non-hematological adverse events associated with niraparib maintenance therapy. This study aimed to investigate the time-trend patterns of niraparib-induced nausea and vomiting (NINV) and the associated risk factors in patients with ovarian cancer.

In this prospective study, we enrolled patients with stage III-IV epithelial ovarian cancer who received niraparib as frontline maintenance therapy. The clinicopathological characteristics and time-trend patterns of patients with NINV were collected through in-person surveys and electronic medical records from the National Cancer Center.

Of 53 patients, 50 (94.3%) were diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. BRCA mutations and homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) were identifi ed in 23 (43.4%) and 32 (60.4%) patients, respectively. Thirty-one patients (58.5%) had NINV. Time-trend analyses revealed that the fi rst peak intensity of NINV was reached at 3 h post-dose, and the second peak intensity was reached at 11 hour post-dose. NINV signifi cantly decreased from week 1 to weeks 8 and 12. In multivariate analyses of risk factors for NINV, HRD-positive tumors (p < 0.001) and prior experience of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (p=0.004) were associated with the occurrence of NINV.

Pre-emptive treatment with antiemetics is required to manage early-phase NINV during niraparib maintenance therapy in patients with risk factors. Additional larger studies are needed to confi rm these fi ndings and to develop optimal preventive strategies for NINV.