For persons receiving chemotherapy of high emetic risk , there is no group of patients for whom agents of lower therapeutic index are appropriate first-choice antiemetics .
In all patients receiving cisplatin and all other agents of high emetic risk , the two-drug combination of dexamethasone and aprepitant is recommended for the prevention of delayed emesis .
The Up date Committee no longer recommends the combination of a 5-HT3 serotonin receptor antagonist and dexamethasone for the prevention of delayed emesis after chemotherapeutic agents of high emetic risk .
PURPOSE To up date the 1999 American Society of Clinical Oncology guideline for antiemetics in oncology .
A randomised placebo controlled study with ondansetron in patients undergoing fractionated radiotherapy.
BACKGROUND There are few r and omised studies comparing anti-emetic drugs for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in patients treated with fractionated radiotherapy . The aim of the study was to compare the anti-emetic efficacy of 8 mg dose ondansetron twice a day with placebo . MATERIAL S AND METHODS One hundred eleven patients who were to commence a course of 10 or more daily fractionated radiotherapy including the abdomen were included in the study . The patients recorded daily emesis , nausea and bowel habit and grade d weekly symptoms of nausea , vomiting , diarrhoea and lack of appetite . The EORTC C30 question naire was completed . RESULTS 67 % of patients given ondansetron had complete control of emesis compared with 45 % of patients with placebo ( P < 0.05 ) . The number of emetic episodes recorded on the worst day was 1.4 for the ondansetron group and 3.1 for the placebo group ( P < 0.01 ) . Patients given ondansetron had fewer days with emesis and nausea compared with placebo ( P < 0.05 ) . The mean sum score of patients weekly grading of symptoms showed that the ondansetron group had less inconvenience than the placebo group ( P < 0.05 ) . This difference persisted during the first three weeks , but not thereafter . Similarly , some quality of life measures showed significant differences in favour of the ondansetron group . More patients ( n = 13 ) withdrew due to lack of efficacy in the placebo group compared with patients ( n = 8) in the ondansetron group . CONCLUSIONS The present study illustrates that prophylactic anti-emetic administration of ondansetron is effective in preventing nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing fractionated radiotherapy of the abdomen
For persons receiving chemotherapy of high emetic risk , there is no group of patients for whom agents of lower therapeutic index are appropriate first-choice antiemetics .
In all patients receiving cisplatin and all other agents of high emetic risk , the two-drug combination of dexamethasone and aprepitant is recommended for the prevention of delayed emesis .
The Up date Committee no longer recommends the combination of a 5-HT3 serotonin receptor antagonist and dexamethasone for the prevention of delayed emesis after chemotherapeutic agents of high emetic risk .
PURPOSE To up date the 1999 American Society of Clinical Oncology guideline for antiemetics in oncology .