Abstract
Background: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is one of the most feared sequelae of cancer pharmacotherapy. Despite advancements in antiemetic treatment, CINV is still a critical issue in patients treated with chemotherapy. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of currently prescribed antiemetic regimens used against CINV in adult cancer patients undergoing their first cycle of chemotherapy in a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a prospective, observational, cross-sectional, patient survey study, conducted in the university oncology center of King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results: The sample consisted of 47 cancer patients with a mean age of 53.1 years (+/- 17.4). Ovarian (n=23; 48.9%) and breast cancer (n=9; 19.2%) were the two most common diagnoses. Among the patients who received chemotherapy, 6 (12.8%) received monotherapy and 41 (87.2%) received combination therapy. In combination therapy, the majority of the patients (n=21; 44.7%) received paclitaxel plus carboplatin. In terms of antiemetics used, 32 patients (68.1 %) received 4 classes of antiemetics, 9 (19.2%) received 3 classes and 5 (10.6%) received 2 classes as part of combination therapy; only 1 patient (2.1%) received an antiemetic as part of monotherapy. Incidences of vomiting were much more frequent in the delayed phase than during the acute phase. Conclusion: The antiemetics' effectiveness at preventing CINV was questionable, as patients enrolled in this study continued to have nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapeutic protocols even with the antiemetic treatment administered.