TUESDAY, May 23, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer experts at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) have issued new guidelines on using antiemetic drugs to prevent nausea and vomiting in patients who receive chemotherapy or radiation treatment.
"Nausea and vomiting can be prevented in most patients undergoing cancer treatment with the right antiemetic treatments," guideline lead author Dr. Mark G. Kris, chief of thoracic oncology service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, said in a prepared statement. "The focus of the guide is not on the treatment of nausea and vomiting, but on its prevention. The best way to handle nausea and vomiting caused by cancer therapy is to prevent it," he said.
The guideline recommends that antiemetics be taken as prescribed both before and after chemotherapy or radiation treatment, as directed by the patient's doctor, since the risk of nausea and vomiting may continue for several days after treatment.
"Even if the patient thinks his or her nausea or vomiting has passed before the full round of antiemetic treatment prescribed by his or her doctor has been completed, it is important that the patient complete the treatment for optimal results," Kris said.
"The doctor should discuss with the patient which cancer treatments carry risk of vomiting and the antiemetics that can best prevent it," he added.
Oncologists testing new antiemetic drugs in clinical trials should assess patients' nausea and vomiting for five days following cancer treatment as a standard for comparison to current treatments, the guideline says.
It also outlines the likelihood of various cancer treatments to cause vomiting.
The new guideline recommendations will be published in the June 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. ASCO has also released a corresponding updated patient guide on prevention and treatment of nausea.
More information
Here's where you can find the cancer patient's guide to prevention and treatment of nausea.
