The author of an accompanying Comment article states that this study provides “much-needed data” and that the results are “impressive”, showing that the introduction of aprepitant was associated with a 20-30% absolute improvement in control of delayed emesis and in overall 5-day complete responses. Very few side-effects were reported, the most common of which was slight exercise-related musculoskeletal pain (5% of the intervention group compared with no participants in the control group).
They go on to comment that the results of this trial, the largest to date of a neurokinin type-1 receptor antagonist in children, provide assurance to paediatric oncologists who have previously had to rely primarily on trials in adults. The pharmacokinetic data suggest a slightly more rapid metabolism of aprepitant in children under the age of 6 years, but it is not clear if this has any clinically relevant effect.