Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients: Do We Need to Revisit Guidelines?

Purpose The objective of this study was to assess the proportion of patients developing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) after receiving chemotherapy for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, despite receiving antiemetic prophylaxis (AEP) as per the standard guidelines. Patients and Methods Between April 2019 and March 2020, all patients planned for chemotherapy were eligible for enrolment in the study. The primary endpoint of the study was the assessment of complete response (CR) rates. Results Overall, 1,276 consecutive patients were screened for this study, while 738 patients fulfilling the eligibility criteria were included. A total of 23.2% of the whole cohort failed to achieve CR. Also, 28.2, 16.9, and 16.6% of patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC), low emetogenic chemotherapy (LEC), and high emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC), respectively, failed to achieve CR. The differences in failure to achieve CR was statistically significant between MEC and HEC (p < 0.001) groups. Among MEC group, there was no difference between those who received oxaliplatin (27.8%) versus nonoxaliplatin regimens (25.8%) in terms of failure rates (p = 0.613). Conclusion Approximately one-fourth of patients failed to achieve a complete response from CINV in GI cancers despite using guideline-based AEP. Patients receiving MEC had the highest failure rates suggesting a need to improve AEP in these patients.

Management of chemotherapy induced emesis

Important progress has been achieved in the last few years in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting thanks to the introduction in clinical practice first of the 5-HT3 antagonists and of the NK1 antagonists more recently. To prevent acute emesis induced by cisplatin, moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, a combination of aprepitant plus a 5-HT3 antagonist and dexamethasone is now the most efficacious regimen. For the prevention of delayed emesis induced by cisplatin, moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, a combination of dexamethasone plus aprepitant or metoclopramide or a 5- HT3 antagonist / dexamethasone or a 5-HT3 antagonist are the preferred antiemetic regimens. For the prevention of acute emesis induced by low emetogenic chemotherapy a prophylaxis with a single antiemetic drug such as dexamethasone is suggested while no antiemetic prophylaxis should be administered to prevent acute emesis induced by minimal emetogenic chemotherapy or to prevent delayed emesis induced by low or minimal emetogenic chemotherapy. In this last case a rescue therapy should be administered in patients presenting acute or delayed emesis.

Management of chemotherapy induced emesis

Important progress has been achieved in the last few years in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting thanks to the introduction in clinical practice first of the 5-HT3 antagonists and of the NK1 antagonists more recently. To prevent acute emesis induced by cisplatin/moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, a combination of aprepitant plus a 5-HT3 antagonist and dexamethasone/a 5-HT3 antagonist plus dexamethasone, is now the most efficacious regimen. For the prevention of delayed emesis induced by cisplatin/moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, a combination of dexamethasone plus aprepitant or metoclopramide or a 5-HT3 antagonist/dexamethasone or a 5-HT3 antagonist are the preferred antiemetic regimens. For the prevention of acute emesis induced by low emetogenic chemotherapy a prophylaxis with a single antiemetic drug such as dexamethasone is suggested while no antiemetic prophylaxis should be administered to prevent acute emesis induced by minimal emetogenic chemotherapy or to prevent delayed emesis induced by low or minimal emetogenic chemotherapy. In this last case a rescue therapy should be administered in patients presenting acute or delayed emesis.