Adequate antiemetic treatment in patients receiving antitumor drug therapy

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of immuno-oncological and targeted therapy in the treatment of malignant tumors, in real clinical practice the role of chemotherapy is still significant, used both in mono regimen and in combination with other antitumor drugs. Cytostatics cause a wide range of adverse events, which are often the cause of dose reduction, cyclical disorders, or even discontinuation of therapy. One of the most common symptoms is chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting which affect not only the quality of life, but also the results of treatment. It is important to address these issues from prevention and treatment perspectives so that patients remain committed to their treatment regimens. Since nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy are classified into 5 different types, the main medications for prevention and treatment include 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) and neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonists and corticosteroids. Simultaneous use of drugs from the groups of second-generation NK1 receptor blockers and 5-HT3 receptor blockers, for example: netupitant + palonosetron in combination with corticosteroids, makes it possible to achieve maximum antiemetic effect, even with the most emetogenic antitumor treatment regimens.

Keywords

• 5-ht3 receptor antagonist
• nk1 receptor antagonist
• antiemetic
• chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
• emetogenic chemotherapy
• highly emetogenic chemotherapy
• moderately emetogenic chemotherapy
• netupitant
• palonosetron
• akinzeo®