title: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Easing patients' fear and discomfort with effective antiemetic regimens.
abstract: Patients receiving chemotherapy should be given optimal antiemetic therapy to maximize their comfort initially and to prevent development of delayed and anticipatory nausea and vomiting. Understanding the mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting allows the healthcare team to design drug regimens capable of avoiding these side effects. Prevention is important, because side effects can be debilitating and sometimes dose-limiting, and up to 10% of patients refuse chemotherapy altogether to avoid them. In general, combination antiemetic therapy is preferred over single-agent therapy for chemotherapeutic regimens that produce moderate to severe adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bilgrami
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Fallon
mesh_terms: D000932:Antiemetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000932:Antiemetics; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents