Control of nausea and vomiting by granisetron in ovarian cancer patients treated with different cisplatin-based regimens.

OBJECTIVE

The study evaluated the safety and efficacy of granisetron as an antiemetic drug in ovarian cancer patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

METHODS

Two groups of consecutive patients were considered: the first (Group A) with advanced disease, receiving 4-day cisplatin therapy in a 40 mg/m2 daily dose; the second (B), with minimal disease after radical surgery at high risk of recurrence, treated by single-day chemotherapy with a 90 mg/m2 dose. In both groups, 3.0 mg of granisetron was administered as a 10 min. intravenous infusion, 30 min. before cisplatin infusion. The treatment schedule included in all patients the administration of 125 mg i.v. of methylprednisolone 2 h before chemotherapeutic infusion. No further doses of granisetron were allowed within each 24 h study period for breakthrough nausea and vomiting. Assessment for nausea and vomiting was made at 24 h intervals through the 6-day study period for both groups using a diary card.

CONCLUSIONS

In group A, 25 patients were collected and evaluated; in group B, 25 were recruited and 13 evaluated. In both groups, excellent control of nausea and vomiting was achieved, since in group A we had a global major antiemetic efficacy of granisetron in 69.2% of patients (54.4% complete control and 14.8% major control); in group B, global major efficacy was present in 83.3% of cases (31.6% complete control and 51.7% major control). The antiemetic effect in the days following antiblastic treatment lasted longer in group A.