Ondansetron in Treating Patients With Advanced Cancer and Chronic Nausea and Vomiting Not Caused by Cancer Treatment

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2001-09-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

RATIONALE: Antiemetic drugs, such as ondansetron, may help to reduce or prevent nausea and vomiting in patients with advanced cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying how well ondansetron works compared to a placebo in treating patients with advanced cancer and chronic nausea and vomiting that is not caused by cancer therapy.

• Phase: Phase 3
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
• Collaborator: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Treatments: Ondansetron

Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Diagnosis of incurable cancer with chronic nausea and vomiting lasting at least 1 week that is not due to antineoplastic therapy (i.e., chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, biologic therapy) Nausea not adequately controlled by standard antiemetics

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Cardiovascular: No uncontrolled hypertension Other: Not pregnant or nursing Able to take oral medication (feeding tube allowed) Able to swallow own saliva No prior phenylketonuria No known allergy or intolerance to 5-HT3 receptor antagonists No bowel obstruction

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: See Disease Characteristics Chemotherapy: See Disease Characteristics At least 2 weeks since prior cytotoxic systemic therapy No concurrent cytotoxic systemic therapy Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: See Disease Characteristics At least 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy to gastrointestinal tract No concurrent radiotherapy to gastrointestinal tract Surgery: Not specified Other: At least 2 weeks since prior 5-HT3 receptor antagonists (i.e., dolasetron, granisetron, or ondansetron) No other concurrent 5-HT3 receptor antagonists Other concurrent antiemetics allowed