HPE Managing CINV pocket guide 2019 | Page 25

RISK FACTORS Risk factors and incidence of CINV The development and validation of tools with good predictive accuracy and high generalisability for the different types of CINV and malignancies will ultimately contribute to improved, personalised emetic therapy strategies George Dranitsaris BPharm MS PhD FCSHP Consultant in Health Economics and Statistics, Augmentium Pharma Consulting Inc, Canada Although chemotherapy agents are widely used and effective in the oncology field, they are highly toxic and cause a myriad of adverse side effects of varying severity and impact on patients. Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is particularly distressful and remains among the most feared side effects of treatment by cancer patients. Unfortunately, a large proportion of patients experience CINV events throughout the course of their treatments despite the availability of effective antiemetic agents. The events can have detrimental consequences on clinical outcomes and quality of life. Antiemetic guidelines are produced by the major cancer associations such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/European Society of Medical Oncology (MASCC/ESMO) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) to provide physicians with a comprehensive panel of recommendations to guide their antiemetic choice. However, current emesis prophylaxis guidelines do not take into consideration individual risk factors that predispose patients to CINV. The identification and hospitalpharmacyeurope.com | 2019 | 25