[High dose metoclopramide during cancer chemotherapy. Phase II study in 80 consecutive patients]

From november 1981 to january 1982, 80 consecutive patients received high dose metoclopramide, adjoined to different cancer chemotherapy regimens containing cisplatine, dacarbazine, actinomycin D or mithramycin. Nineteen of them (23,75%) had no chemotherapy induced nausea or vomiting, 30 (37,5%) had nausea alone or vomited only once, and 17 (21,3%) had 3 to 5 episodes of vomiting. The overall efficacy of high-dose metoclopramide was 83,7 per cent. It has been seen whatever the chemotherapeutic agents used, and was inchanged for the following courses in 33 of 37 patients who received 2 to 4 courses. In 25 out of 33 patients who had already received the same chemotherapy without high dose metoclopramide, the digestive tolerance have been improved by the antiemetic treatment. Toxicity of high dose metoclopramide had been encountered in 17 (21,5%) of the patients and necessited this treatment to be stopped in 10. There were mainly extrapyramidal syndroms, diarrhea and drownsiness. The toxicity of high dose metoclopramide was of concern mainly in patients younger than 30, and/or when dosage escalation have been attempted.