Table 3. Antiemetic Recommendations by Emetic Risk Categoriesa
| Emetic Risk Category | ASCO Guidelines | NCCN Guidelines |
| High (>90%) risk | Three-drug combination of a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, dexamethasone, and aprepitant recommended prechemotherapy. | Prechemotherapy, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (ondansetron, granisetron, dolasetron, or palonosetronb), dexamethasone (12 mg), and aprepitant (125 mg) recommended, with or without lorazepam. |
| For patients receiving cisplatin and all other agents of high emetic risk, the two-drug combination of dexamethasone and aprepitant recommended for prevention of delayed emesis. | For prevention of delayed emesis, dexamethasone (8 mg) on days 2–4 plus aprepitant (80 mg) on days 2 and 3 recommended, with or without lorazepam on days 2–4. | |
| Moderate (30%–90%) risk | For patients receiving an anthracycline and cyclophosphamide, the three-drug combination of a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, dexamethasone, and aprepitant recommended prechemotherapy; single-agent aprepitant recommended on days 2 and 3 for prevention of delayed emesis. | For patients receiving an anthracycline and cyclophosphamide and selected patients receiving other chemotherapies of moderate emetic risk (e.g., carboplatin, cisplatin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, ifosfamide, irinotecan, or methotrexate), a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (ondansetron, granisetron, dolasetron, or palonosetronb), dexamethasone (12 mg), and aprepitant (125 mg) recommended, with or without lorazepam, prechemotherapy; for other patients, aprepitant is not recommended. |
| For patients receiving other chemotherapies of moderate emetic risk, the two-drug combination of a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist and dexamethasone recommended prechemotherapy; single-agent dexamethasone or a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist recommended on days 2 and 3 for prevention of delayed emesis. | For prevention of delayed emesis, dexamethasone (8 mg) or a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist on days 2–4 or, if used on day 1, aprepitant (80 mg) on days 2 and 3, with or without dexamethasone (8 mg) on days 2–4, recommended, with or without lorazepam on days 2–4. | |
| Low (10%–30%) risk | Dexamethasone (8 mg) recommended; no routine preventive use of antiemetics for delayed emesis recommended. | Metoclopramide, with or without diphenhydramine; dexamethasone (12 mg); or prochlorperazine recommended, with or without lorazepam. |
| Minimal (<10%) risk | No antiemetic administered routinely pre- or postchemotherapy. | No routine prophylaxis; consider using antiemetics listed under primary prophylaxis as treatment. |
| ASCO = American Society of Clinical Oncology; NCCN = National Comprehensive Cancer Network. | ||
| aAdapted from Navari.[137] | ||
| bOrder of listed antiemetics does not reflect preference. |
References
- Navari RM: Overview of the updated antiemetic guidelines for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Community Oncology 4 (4 Suppl 1): 3-11, 2007. Also available online. Last accessed March 28, 2013.
