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Drug Information and Pharmacotherapy
DI-074 Evaluation of the impact of nausea and vomiting on patientsí quality of life after highly emetogenic chemotherapy
  1. N Pi Sala1,
  2. M Pons Busom1,
  3. M De Temple Pla1,
  4. N El Hilali Masó1,
  5. M Centelles2,
  6. E Ramió Montero2
  1. 1Capio Hospital Universitari Sagrat Cor, Pharmacy, Barcelona, Spain
  2. 2Capio Hospital Universitari Sagrat Cor, Oncology, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

Background Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) are common and unpleasant effects of cancer treatment.

Purpose To determine the impact of CINV on patients’ quality of life after highly emetogenic chemotherapy treatment.

Materials and methods Prospective and observational study including all administrations of highly emetogenic chemotherapy (doxorubicin or epirubicin in combination with cyclophosphamide, and cisplatin ≥ 50 mg/m2) to adult patients over eight months.

After every cycle, all the patients completed the Functional Living Index-Emesis (FLIE), a validated questionnaire used to evaluate the impact of CINV on patients’ daily life on days 3–5 after chemotherapy treatment. A higher score (>108) corresponds to less effect of CINV on daily life.

Results We studied 36 administrations corresponding to 20 patients (69.4% female, mean age 66.9 years old (SD 10.4)). Most frequent diagnoses were breast cancer (44.4%), lung cancer (16.7%) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (16.7%). Nausea was reported by 50% of the patients and emesis by 33.3%. In 47.2% of the patients the impact of CINV on patients’ quality of life was observed. In the majority of patients, the nausea score was lower than the vomiting score (47.1 and 52.9 respectively, t = 2.38, p = 0,023). The average FLIE score was 100 (SD 27.8).

Conclusions In about half of the patients, the CINV affected their quality of life.

  • – Nausea had a higher negative effect on patients’ quality of life than emesis.

  • – There is a need to improve antiemetic treatment to improve our patients’ quality of life.

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Abstract DI-074 Table 1

No conflict of interest.

https://doi.org/10.1136/ejhpharm-2013-000436.245

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