HPE CINV Pocket Guide 2018 | Page 27

rendering the current emetogenic categories less suitable for delayed CINV manifestations. 1 The main goal of CINV prophylactic and therapeutic approaches is to reduce the complications associated with nausea and vomiting and, at the same time, allow patients to maintain their optimal chemotherapy treatment plans without loss of efficacy due to dose adjustments or delays of the anticancer agents. 3 Inadequate management of nausea and vomiting strongly affects the effectiveness of chemotherapy by delaying cycles and requiring administration of rescue antiemetic medications and/or fluid therapy, potentially leading to patient adherence issues. In some cases, patients may discontinue their treatments as a result of severe CINV, which could negatively affect survival outcomes. Failure to prevent and control CINV also intensifies utilisation of health care resources and can further increase the cost of cancer treatments and the overall burden to health care systems. In support of prompt prophylactic and therapeutic interventions for CINV, a meta-analysis of studies evaluating health-related quality of life outcomes revealed that even patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy were severely affected in their daily activities by these side effects of chemotherapy. In addition, an analysis of data extracted from health economics studies revealed that direct costs (for example, costs associated with antiemetic hospitalpharmacyeurope.com | 2018 | 27