MA02.07 Aprepitant for Cough Suppression in Advanced Lung Cancer: A Randomized Trial

Cough is a distressing symptom in patients with lung cancer. Effective management of cough leads to improvement in quality of life (QoL) and optimal palliative care. Aprepitant, a centrally acting neurokinin-1 inhibitor, has been shown in a pilot study to significantly decrease the cough frequency. A randomized open-label study in patients with advanced lung cancer with cough for over 2 weeks despite therapy with a cough suppressant, with an ECOG performance status 0 to 2. Patients were randomized 1: 1 to Arm A: aprepitant 125 mg orally on day 1, followed by 80 mg orally on days 2 to 7 along with physician’s choice of antitussive therapy. Patients on Arm B received physician’s choice of antitussive therapy. Patients were evaluated at baseline and then on days 3, 7, 9 and 12. Primary efficacy endpoint was subjective improvement in cough, measured with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Manchester Cough in Lung Cancer Scale (MCLCS). Secondary endpoints included toxicity and QoL, measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30 and LC13. The trial was approved by the` institutional IEC and registered with (CTRI/2017/05/008691). Between June 2017 and June 2018, 128 patients were randomized: 64 to each arm. The median age was 53 yrs, 65% male, 64% never-smokers, 82% had adenocarcinoma. 88% had Stage IV disease; 80% had PS 1 and 20% PS 2. The median duration of cough was 90 days. VAS scores at baseline and day 9 was 67.93, 38.50 in Arm A and 63.15, 48.57 Arm B , with p<0.001 and the MCLCS scores at baseline and day 9 was 30.03, 22.32 in Arm A and 27.53, 23.80 Arm B , with p<0.001. Overall, there was no significant difference in the QoL scores in patients in the two arms, however there was a significant improvement in the cough-specific QoL domain in the patients on the aprepitant arm, p=0.017. There was no increase in the grade 3 and higher adverse events in the patients on the aprepitant arm. Aprepitant led to a significant improvement in cough in patients with advanced lung cancer, with no increase in severe side-effects. Aprepitant should be considered as one of the treatment options for cough in lung cancer patients.