Prolonged chlorpromazine infusion as antiemetic in patients on daily cisplatin infusion. A pilot study

Abstract

Continuous chlorpromazine infusion 120 mg/m2/24 h was administered for a period of 84-110 h to 24 consecutive patients with various advanced solid malignancies receiving concomitantly a 3-day infusion of cisplatin. The latter was given at a dose of 40 mg/m2/day over 6 h every day, in combination with either doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide or 5-fluorouracil infusion or vinblastine and bleomycin. This novel approach of using prolonged continuous chlorpromazine infusion as antiemetic therapy proved quite safe with no incidence of extrapyramidal toxicity, hepatotoxicity, or agranulocytosis. Only one episode of convulsions occurred, promptly reversed. Also, antiemesis was demonstrated in 66% of patients receiving such highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Blood levels of chlorpromazine did not correlate with antiemetic efficacy.