Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32036491›Full record

Trial reportInvestigational new drugs2020

Mirtazapine, a dopamine receptor inhibitor, as a secondary prophylactic for delayed nausea and vomiting following highly emetogenic chemotherapy: an open label, randomized, multicenter phase III trial.

Jun Cao, Quchang Ouyang, Shusen Wang, Joseph Ragaz, Xiaojia Wang, Yuee Teng, Biyun Wang, Zhonghua Wang, Jian Zhang, Leiping Wang and 3 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IIIMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Investigational new drugs, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02336750 (A Phase III Trial Comparing Dexamethasone, Aprepitant With or Without Mirtazapine in Delayed Emesis Control and Appetite Improvement), which is not on this map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.5field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02336750 phase3completednot on this map

A Phase III Trial Comparing Dexamethasone, Aprepitant With or Without Mirtazapine in Delayed Emesis Control and Appetite Improvement

TypeinterventionalSponsorFudan UniversityRan2014 to 2021Enrolled212ConditionsBreast CancerArmsAprepitant, Mirtazapine
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. 2023 updated MASCC/ESMO consensus recommendations: prevention of nausea and vomiting following high-emetic-risk antineoplastic agents.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023
    Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Global inequitable distribution of seminal studies of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Review
  5. Mirtazapine revisited: new therapeutic perspectives and formulation advances.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026
    Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Chemotherapy: how to reduce its adverse effects while maintaining the potency?Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2023
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Jun CaoDepartment of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Quchang OuyangHu Nan Tumor Hospital, Changsha, China.
Shusen WangCancer Hospital Zhongshan Medical, Guangzhou, China.
Joseph RagazFaculty of Medicine, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Xiaojia WangDepartment of Medical Oncology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
Yuee TengDepartment of Medical Oncology, First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
Biyun WangDepartment of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Zhonghua WangDepartment of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Jian ZhangDepartment of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Leiping WangDepartment of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Jiong WuDepartment of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Zhimin ShaoDepartment of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Xichun HuDepartment of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China. xichunhu2019@163.com.
Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University · CNFudan University Shanghai Cancer Center · CNFirst Hospital of China Medical University · CNGuangzhou Medical University Cancer Hospital · CNUniversity of British Columbia · CAZhejiang Cancer Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background We examined the efficacy of mirtazapine in preventing delayed nausea and vomiting following highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). Patients and methods Patients who had experienced delayed emesis and would be subsequently scheduled for at least three more cycles of the same chemotherapy were randomly assigned to either a mirtazapine (15 mg daily on days 2-4) or a control group. In addition, both groups received a standard triplet regimen comprising aprepitant, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, and dexamethasone (7.5 mg on days 2-4). The chemotherapy regimens were either an epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide regimen or cisplatin-containing regimens. The primary end point was a complete response (no emesis and no rescue treatment) to the delayed phase (25-120 h post-chemotherapy) during Cycle 1. The impact on quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the Functional Living Index-Emesis (FLIE) questionnaire. Results Of 95 enrolled patients, 46 were assigned to the mirtazapine group and 49 to the control group. The complete response rate in the delayed phase during Cycle 1 was significantly higher with mirtazapine than in the control group (78.3% versus 49.0%, P = 0.003). The main adverse effects of mirtazapine were mild to moderate somnolence and weight gain. Mean total FLIE scores were similar between the two arms. Conclusions This is the first randomized prospective study to show that adding mirtazapine has a substantial and statistically significant benefit with good tolerance in patients with breast cancer who have experienced delayed emesis following the same prior HEC. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02336750).

Indexed as

AntiemeticsAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsAprepitantBreast NeoplasmsCisplatinCyclophosphamideDexamethasoneDopamine AntagonistsEpirubicinFemaleHumansMiddle AgedMirtazapineNauseaQuality of LifeSerotonin 5-HT3 Receptor AntagonistsAntiemeticsAprepitantCisplatinCyclophosphamideDexamethasoneDopamine AntagonistsEpirubicinMirtazapineSerotonin 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists5-HT3 receptor antagonistAprepitantBreast cancerMirtazapineNausea and vomiting

Identifiers

PMID32036491
OpenAlexW3004651543

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.