International Journal of Medical Laboratory Research (IJMLR)

USEFULNESS OF ANTI-EMETICS IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER: A REVIEW

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P Simon, M Jayachandran, R Vijendra, S Rao, MS Baliga, PL Palatty

 

ABSTRACT: In the treatment of cancer, nausea and vomiting are two of the most important and common toxiceffects of chemotherapy and adversely affects the patient’s quality of life and worse withdrawal from treatment. Physiologically, emesis is controlled by the vomiting centre in the medulla, that integrates afferent input from the vestibular system, the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ), the cortex and the gut. Mechanistically, antiemetic mediate their action by blocking various type of receptors involved in inducing emesis and  located in different regions and various organ of the body. Some of the most important anti-emetics used in prevention of nausea and vomiting are ondansetron, granisetron, metochlopramide, aprepitant and palonosetron. In addition to this, aprepitantis also combined with dexamethasone and the 5-HT3 antagonists toenhance prevention of acute emesis. In this comprehensive review an attempt is made at summarizing on the various antiemetic agents and their usefulness in the treatment of cancer. Also emphasis is placed on the recent research on combination of antiemetic and elucidating the role of various agents used in the combinations of to mediate optimal effects.

 

KEY WORDS: chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), anti-emetics, olanzapine

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