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BMC Palliative Care
Published in: BMC Palliative Care 1/2020

01-12-2020 | Nausea | Research article

The use of olanzapine as an antiemetic in palliative medicine: a systematic review of the literature

Authors: G. Saudemont, C. Prod’Homme, A. Da Silva, S. Villet, M. Reich, N. Penel, V. Gamblin

Published in: BMC Palliative Care | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

Background

Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic that has affinity for many central nervous system receptors. Its efficacy is supported by several studies in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. No recommendations exist on the antiemetic use of olanzapine in the palliative care setting. The aim of this work is to complete the initial work of Fonte et al. published in 2015, to determine whether the literature supports the use of olanzapine as an antiemetic in palliative situations and, in practice, to propose a therapeutic schema adapted to the palliative setting.

Methods

Systematic review of the literature according to the PRISMA criteria. We searched the PubMed, Cochrane, RefDoc, EMBase databases and the gray literature databases. The bibliographic search was conducted between November 2016 and August 2017.

Results

Thirteen articles were included: 2 case studies, 3 case series, 3 retrospective studies, 2 prospective studies, 2 literature reviews. All studies concluded on the efficacy of olanzapine as an antiemetic in the palliative care setting. No serious adverse effects were reported. Based on the data from the literature review, we propose a therapeutic scheme adapted to the palliative care context.

Conclusion

Action of olanzapine on many receptors and its tolerance profile make it an interesting antiemetic treatment in palliative medicine. But to date, studies are scarce and have a low statistical power. Further investigation is therefore needed to determine the benefit of this treatment in palliative care patients, compared to usual treatments.
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Metadata
Title
The use of olanzapine as an antiemetic in palliative medicine: a systematic review of the literature
Authors
G. Saudemont
C. Prod’Homme
A. Da Silva
S. Villet
M. Reich
N. Penel
V. Gamblin
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Palliative Care / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1472-684X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-020-00559-4

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