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Anti-Emetics

Prospective evaluation of antiemetic outcome following high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell support

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 28, pages 1061–1066 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Considerable progress has been made in improving the control of chemotherapy-induced emesis. The impact of available antiemetic options for patients receiving stem cell transplants is unclear, as few prospective data have been collected. We prospectively evaluated antiemetic outcome in patients receiving stem cell transplantation over a 7-day period following the initiation of chemotherapy. The primary endpoints were the number of emetic episodes and the extent of nausea measured on a four-point scale. Eighty-two patients were evaluated. Ninety-five percent of patients had nausea during the first week of treatment; 80% had at least one emetic episode. The percentage of patients with emesis was as follows: day 1: 13%, day 2: 21%, day 3: 30%, day 4: 38%, day 5: 44%, day 6: 39%, day 7: 18%. In multivariate analysis, gender, emesis with prior chemotherapy, history of morning or motion sickness, type of transplant (auto vs allo), use of total body irradiation, or use of dexamethasone did not effect emesis control. Most patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy experience incompletely controlled emesis. Control of nausea and emesis progressively worsened with each subsequent day following initiation of chemotherapy, reaching a nadir on day 5. New treatment approaches are needed to improve emesis control in this patient population.

Bone Marrow Transplantation (2001) 28, 1061–1066.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the outstanding nursing staff of the UMassMemorial Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. The authors thank Carol Perch and Shelly Anderson for their excellent technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, UMass Memorial Health Care, Worcester, MA, USA

    KK Ballen, RVB Emmons, Q Liu & C-C Hsieh

  2. Division of Hematology/Oncology, St Elizabeth's Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    AM Hesketh, C Heyes, PS Becker, K Fogarty, J LaPointe & PJ Hesketh

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  1. KK Ballen
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  2. AM Hesketh
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Ballen, K., Hesketh, A., Heyes, C. et al. Prospective evaluation of antiemetic outcome following high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell support. Bone Marrow Transplant 28, 1061–1066 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1703280

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1703280

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