Cancer patients at high risk for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting – prediction assessments/tools

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is associated with a significant deterioration in quality of life and is perceived by patients as a major adverse effects of the treatment.

Areas covered: In order to minimize the effects of CINV on patients’ quality of life, practitioners should prescribe prophylactic antiemetics using the recommendations of the various international antiemetic guidelines. In addition, patients’ specific risk factor for CINV should be assessed to determine if additional interventions should be implemented for specific patients prior to the first course of chemotherapy.

Expert commentary: If patients develop breakthrough, refractory, and/or anticipatory CINV despite the use of guideline directed antiemetics, additional antiemetics and/or non-pharmacologic interventions should be implemented. The purpose of the review is to outline an approach for the assessment and implementation of effective prophylactic measures to prevent CINV.

KEYWORDS:

• Antiemetics
• chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
• antiemetic guidelines
• patient risk factors

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Additional information

Funding

No funding to declare.