Delayed Vomiting in Children With Cancer After Receiving Moderately High or Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy

Risk factors associated with nausea and vomiting in children with cancer receiving chemotherapy

INTRODUCTION

Despite treatment with antiemetic medications, nausea remains uncontrolled for many children receiving chemotherapy. One reason is that risk factors for nausea in children remain poorly explored. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for chemotherapy-induced nausea (CIN) in children.

METHODS

Prospective, observational study including 101 children (median age 6.4 years, range 0.8-17.9) with cancer receiving moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Primary endpoints were complete control of acute and delayed CIN, defined as no nausea in the acute phase 0-24 h after chemotherapy and in the delayed phase starting after the acute phase and ending 5 days later. Multivariable analyses included age, sex, cancer type, susceptibility to motion sickness, chemotherapy duration, numbers of antiemetics, co-administration with opioids or tricyclic antidepressants, and previously uncontrolled nausea or vomiting.

RESULTS

Acute CIN was associated with susceptibility to motion sickness (odds ratio [OR] 5.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36-33.7) and older age (OR 4.19, 95% CI 1.30-14.7), comparing age group 8-18 years with 0-3 years. Delayed CIN was associated with uncontrolled acute nausea or vomiting (OR 10.3, 95% CI 2.65-50.9), highly emetogenic chemotherapy (OR 8.26, 95% CI 1.17-76.8), and having a hematologic cancer type (OR 7.81, 95% CI 1.05-79.2).

CONCLUSIONS

Susceptibility to motion sickness and age can influence the risk of acute CIN. More research is needed on how best to integrate risk information in preventive antiemetic strategies. Sufficient acute nausea and vomiting control are crucial to prevent delayed CIN.

Laser Acupuncture for Relieving Nausea and Vomiting in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Nausea and vomiting are frequent side effects associated with chemotherapy treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of laser acupuncture in relieving nausea and vomiting in children and adolescents undergoing laser treatment. This is an experimental, randomized, single-blind study. The research was carried out at the INCA (Instituto Nacional de Câncer), a reference institution in the control and treatment of cancer, located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The research project was approved by the INCA Research and Ethics Committee under Registration No. 164/14 and CAAE 3374551.0.3001.5274. Children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17 years who were undergoing chemotherapy with drugs of high and medium degrees of emetogenic toxicity were selected. The participants were divided into two groups, A and B. In A, the active acupuncture was applied, and in B, the placebo acupuncture was applied. Analysis of the data indicated that there was significant relief from nausea in the intervention group when compared with the placebo group. A decrease in the number of episodes of vomiting on the second and third days of chemotherapy was also observed. On Days 1, 4, and 5, there was no significant difference in the number of episodes of vomiting in the intervention group as compared with the placebo group. The study concluded that laser acupuncture was effective in relieving nausea within 5 days of chemotherapy and in reducing the number of episodes of vomiting on Days 2 and 3 after chemotherapy.

Factors Associated With Chemotherapy-Induced Vomiting Control in Pediatric Patients Receiving Moderately or Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy: A Pooled Analysis

PURPOSE

To identify factors associated with chemotherapy-induced vomiting (CIV) control in pediatric patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) or moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An individual, patient-level, pooled analysis was performed using data from five clinical trials of aprepitant or fosaprepitant in pediatric patients receiving HEC or MEC. The proportion of individuals who experienced no vomiting (complete CIV control) during the phase of interest was the primary study end point. The association of acute-phase complete CIV control (from first chemotherapy dose to 24 hours after the last chemotherapy dose of the chemotherapy block) with age, sex, race, cancer type, acute-phase duration, and antiemetic regimen was examined. Association of the same factors and acute-phase complete CIV control with complete CIV control in the delayed phase (end of acute phase until ≤ 96 hours later) was examined.

RESULTS

A total of 735 patients (mean age, 8.9 years; range, 0.3 to 17.9 years) were included in the acute-phase analysis. Acute-phase complete CIV control was less likely in older patients (relative risk [RR], 0.97 per year; 95% CI, 0.96 to 0.98 per year) and longer acute-phase duration (RR, 0.89 per day; 95% CI, 0.84 to 0.94 per day). Receipt of ondansetron plus aprepitant or fosaprepitant was associated with a higher likelihood of acute-phase complete CIV control versus ondansetron alone (RR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.50). Delayed-phase complete CIV control was more likely in patients with acute-phase complete CIV control (RR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.34) and in those who received aprepitant or fosaprepitant.

CONCLUSION

Younger age, shorter acute-phase duration, and antiemetic regimen were associated with acute-phase complete CIV control in pediatric patients receiving HEC or MEC. Acute-phase complete CIV control and antiemetic regimen were associated with delayed-phase complete CIV control.

Aprepitant reduces chemotherapy-induced vomiting in children and young adults with brain tumors

PURPOSE

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are common and distressing side effects in patients with brain tumors and may be associated with radiation and the administration of highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). Pediatric antiemetic guidelines recommend administration of a 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5HT3) receptor antagonists and the addition of aprepitant, a neurokinin 1 (NK1) antagonist with corticosteroids for the treatment of HEC. However, challenges persist in treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with brain tumors as corticosteroids are contraindicated due to potential impairment of the blood-brain barrier permeability. The objective was to determine whether a 5HT3 receptor antagonist and the addition of aprepitant, an NK1 antagonist without a corticosteroid, were effective in reducing HEC vomiting in pediatric brain tumor patients.

METHOD

A retrospective review found that 18 patients with a history of high-grade vomiting during radiation were prescribed a 5HT3 receptor antagonist and aprepitant without a corticosteroid during their first course of HEC. To determine the efficacy of aprepitant without a corticosteroid, each recipient was matched with 2 controls who did not receiv aprepitant.

RESULTS

During HEC, controls without aprepitant were more likely to have Grade 2 or higher vomiting than the aprepitant recipients (P = .03; odds ratio = 4.15; 95% confidence interval = 1.59-10.82), after controlling for radiation-associated vomiting toxicity.

DISCUSSION

Significantly less vomiting was identified in children receiving HEC and prescribed a 5HT3 receptor antagonist and aprepitant. Findings suggest that the addition of an NK1 antagonist may be beneficial to emetic control in this highly vulnerable population.

Symptom clusters in children and adolescents receiving cisplatin, doxorubicin, or ifosfamide

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

To examine the influence of the proposed symptom cluster of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and sleep disturbances on clinical outcomes defined as behavior changes, depression, and performance status in children and adolescents before and after receiving cisplatin, doxorubicin, or ifosfamide chemotherapy.

DESIGN

A prospective, descriptive, within-group, before-and-after-chemotherapy design was used.

SETTING

Two major childhood cancer treatment hospitals in the United States.

SAMPLE

67 patients aged 7-18 years who were receiving chemotherapy courses of cisplatin, doxorubicin, or ifosfamide.

METHODS

Fatigue, depression, behavior, and performance assessments were completed on the first day of cisplatin, doxorubicin, or ifosfamide therapy and one week later. Patients wore a wrist actigraph on the nondominant hand during the course of therapy and for 48 hours after discharge from the hospital. Nausea and vomiting were measured every 24 hours during the course of therapy and for 48 hours after discharge. A linear mixed model was used to evaluate the influence of the symptom cluster. Regression analysis was used to examine the associations between performance status and the symptom cluster. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was used to produce the correlation of sleep symptoms.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

Fatigue, nausea and vomiting, sleep disturbances, behavior, depression, and performance.

FINDINGS

Adolescents with the cluster of increased fatigue and sleep disturbances experienced more depressive symptoms and behavior changes. Children with higher levels of fatigue had increased depressive symptoms. The more fatigue parents perceived in their children or adolescents, the more behavior and emotional difficulties were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Fatigue, sleep disturbance, and nausea and vomiting, when clustered, impacted depressive symptoms and behavior changes in adolescents after chemotherapy. In children, fatigue alone impacted depressive symptoms and behavior changes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Symptom clusters can have a significant impact on children's and adolescents' quality of life during cancer treatment. Early recognition and intervention for these symptoms are an important nursing role.

Differences in activities of daily living performance between long-term pediatric sarcoma survivors and a matched comparison group on standardized testing

BACKGROUND

In a cross-sectional study examining late effects of pediatric sarcoma therapy, long-term survivors were evaluated on their activities of daily living (ADL) performance.

PROCEDURE

Thirty-two persons with Ewing sarcoma family of tumors, rhabdomyosarcoma, and non-rhabdomysarcoma-soft tissue sarcoma enrolled an average of 17 years after treatment. Participants were evaluated using the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) 1, a standardized observational evaluation of ADL task performance. Means and 95% confidence intervals for ADL motor and ADL process ability measures were calculated for four groups: (1) sarcoma survivors, (2) "well" adults matched for age and gender, (3) "well" adults matched for gender that were 10 years older, and (4) "well" adults matched for gender that were 20 years older.

RESULTS

ADL motor ability was significantly lower for sarcoma survivors than for the age- and gender-matched comparison group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between ADL motor ability of sarcoma survivors and the comparison group 10 years older, but sarcoma survivors had significantly better ADL motor ability (P < 0.05) than the oldest comparison group (20 years older). Sarcoma survivors had significantly worse ADL process ability than the age-matched group (P < 0.05). There was no difference in ADL process ability between the sarcoma survivors and comparison groups that were 10 and 20 years older.

CONCLUSIONS

This first report of a clinical evaluation of ADL limitation in pediatric sarcoma survivors treated with intensive multimodal cancer therapy suggests that influences on performance of daily life activities are more common than previously reported.

A Dialogue on the Future of Nursing Practice

PURPOSE

The challenges of health care; its safety, effectiveness, and efficiency; the quality of care; and the outcomes patients experience are issues central to nursing practice. This centrality needs to be affirmed as the profession shapes its practice over the next 50 years. The purpose of this article is to initiate a dialogue on the future of nursing practice.

METHODS

The methods used are observation, reflection, dialogue, and proposed actions.

FINDINGS

The results of this process are preliminary. They suggest that the establishment of nursing hospitals is a distinct possibility.

CONCLUSIONS

This article concludes with a series of arguments for and against this position along with an invitation for your participation in this dialogue.

NURSING IMPLICATIONS

The major implications of this article are not "nursing" implications per se but client and patient implications and the future contribution of nursing to improved health and patient care.