Associations of plasma aprepitant and its N-dealkylated metabolite with cachexia progression and clinical responses in head and neck cancer patients

Oral aprepitant has a large interindividual variation in clinical responses in advanced cancer. This study aimed to characterize plasma aprepitant and its N -dealkylated metabolite (ND-AP) based on the cachexia progression and clinical responses in head and neck cancer patients. Fifty-three head and neck cancer patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy with oral aprepitant were enrolled. Serum albumin level was negatively correlated with the plasma concentrations of aprepitant at 24 hours after a 3-day aprepitant treatment. The patients with Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) 1 or 2 had higher plasma concentrations of total and free aprepitant than those with GPS 0. No difference was observed in the plasma concentration of ND-AP between the GPS classifications. The plasma interleukin-6 level was higher in patients with GPS 1 or 2 than 0. The absolute plasma concentration of free ND-AP was higher in patients without the delayed nausea, and its concentration to determine the occurrence was 18.9 ng/mL. The occurrence of delayed nausea had no relation with absolute plasma aprepitant. In conclusion, cancer patients with a lower serum albumin and progressive cachectic condition had a higher plasma aprepitant level. In contrast, plasma free ND-AP but not aprepitant was related to the antiemetic efficacy of oral aprepitant.