Do antiemetic drugs prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting in cancer patients?

Cancer patients who are being treated with chemotherapy are susceptible to chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), and they continue to experience these side effects despite being administered with antiemetics, a study has shown.

This prospective, observational, cross-sectional patient survey study was conducted in the oncology centre at King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between January and July 2021. The authors designed a data entry form to obtain data on patient demographics, cancer type, antiemetics prescribed, chemotherapy regimen, and incidence of CINV.

A total of 283 cancer patients (mean age 47.7 years) were included. The most common diagnoses were colorectal and breast cancer (n=67; 23.6 percent for each). Half of the participants who received chemotherapy (n=144; 50.8 percent) had a regimen that was highly emetogenic, while the rest (n=139; 49 percent) received moderately emetogenic chemotherapy.

Antiemetic treatment was administered to patients prior to chemotherapy to control CINV. Antiemetics were given either as combination therapy (170 patients [60 percent] received four classes of antiemetics; 73 [25.4 percent] received three classes; and 31 [10.9 percent] received two classes) or monotherapy (six patients [2.1 percent] received one drug). Four patients (1.4 percent) did not receive antiemetics.

Antiemetic drugs administered after chemotherapy were also given either in combination (151 patients [53.3 percent] received three classes of antiemetics and 94 [33.2 percent] received two classes) or as monotherapy (27 patients [9.5 percent] received one drug). Eleven patients (3.8 percent) were not treated with antiemetic medication.

The incidence rates for acute and delayed nausea following chemotherapy were 32.1 percent and 30.7 percent, respectively. For acute and delayed vomiting, the corresponding rates were 13.4 percent and 10.2 percent. Notably, acute nausea occurred more frequently than vomiting.

The findings of this study showed “that antiemetic regimens used are not effective in preventing CINV,” the authors said.