THE COURSE OF NAUSEA AND VOMITING AFTER HIGH-DOSE CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 66  (7) , 1487-1493
Abstract
The course of nausea and vomiting after high-dose cyclophosphamide (50-75 mg/kg) was studied in 25 [cancer] patients. Nausea was assessed with a visual analog scale and vomiting by patient report. The reliability and validity of these assessment methods were established in separate studies of oncology patients. Nausea and vomiting developed between 6 and 12 h after the start of a 1-h cyclophosphamide infusion in .apprx. 2/3 of the patients. Peak symptoms were at 12 h. Vomiting had subsided in most of the patients by 24 h, but nausea persisted. Although there was significant individual variation in the course of nausea and vomiting, no demographic, disease, drug or treatment factors which were associated with more significant nausea and vomiting were identified. Some of the variability in the onset, severity and duration of nausea and vomiting may be related to individual differences in the metabolism of and susceptibility to cyclophosphamide. The visual analog scale may provide information about nausea not obtained by the more frequently employed categoric verbal rating scales. Suggestions for the treatment of nausea and vomiting after high-dose cyclophosphamide are based on these findings.