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Revista de Saúde Pública logoLink to Revista de Saúde Pública
. 2020 Nov 4;54:106. doi: 10.11606/s1518-8787.2020054002178
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Risk factors associated with antineoplastic chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting

Giovana Paula Rezende Simino I,, Ilka Afonso Reis II, Francisco de Assis Acurcio III, Eli Iola Gurgel Andrade IV, Natalia Maria Linhares Brazil V, Mariângela Leal Cherchiglia IV
PMCID: PMC7647467  PMID: 33175025

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE:

To estimate the incidence and to evaluate risk factors for antineoplastic nausea and vomiting with high and moderate emetogenic chemotherapy in adult patients in the first treatment cycle.

METHODS:

Prospective cohort study with follow-up of 269 adults during the first cycle of antineoplastic chemotherapy. The incidence of nausea and vomiting was evaluated in the acute phase (0–24 hours), in the late phase (24 hours–5th day) and in the total phase (0–5th day).

RESULTS:

In total, 152 patients underwent high emetogenic chemotherapy and 117 moderate emetogenic chemotherapy. The relative frequency of nausea was higher when compared with vomiting in the acute phase (p < 0.001) and in the late phase (p < 0.001). The risk factors identified were: age group ≤ 49 years (odds ratio = 0.47; 95%CI 0.23–0.95) and 50–64 years (odds ratio = 0.45; 95%CI 0.23–0.87), tobacco use (odds ratio = 0.35; 95%CI 0.14–0.88), and high emetogenic chemotherapy (odds ratio 0.55; 95%CI 0.31–0.95).

CONCLUSION:

The incidence of nausea was higher than that of vomiting, and adverse effects were more frequent in the late phase. The results suggest the risk factors for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are tobacco, age (young adults), and high emetogenic chemotherapy.

DESCRIPTORS: Antineoplastic, adverse effects; Nausea Vomiting, prevention and control Antiemetics; Neoplasias, therapy; Cohort studies

INTRODUCTION

Cancer is a public health issue and its prevention and control are challenges for this century. However, antineoplastic drugs have side effects that worsen the quality of life, in addition to being expensive and possibly leading to treatment discontinuation. Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) are the most frequent gastrointestinal adverse effects, despite advances in prophylactic therapies1. Nausea is described as a subjective, painless sensation that precedes vomiting, and vomiting is described as the expulsion of gastric contents through the mouth2-3.

CINV episodes can be classified according to the phase of their occurrence. The first 24 hours after the start of chemotherapy infusion are called the “acute phase.” The period from 24 hours to 5 days is called “late phase4.”

Among the risk factors for CINV, chemotherapy agents and combinations of agents are categorized as minimalEC), low (LEC), moderate (MEC), or high (HEC) emetogenic chemotherapy5. Other risk factors are: being a woman, having already received chemotherapy in previous treatments, being aged under 50 years, use of medicines, impaired emotional state, brain metastases, tobacco use and non-alcohol consumption6.

The risk of CINV for patients undergoing chemotherapy with HEC and MEC is estimated at 90% and 30–90%, respectively. In Brazil, there is no antiemetic protocol established. However, the Consenso Brasileiro de Náuseas e Vômitos em Cuidados Paliativos (Brazilian Consensus on Nausea and Vomiting in Palliative Care) refers to the protocol of the Multinational Association for Support in Cancer Care (MASCC) and the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO)7. CINV worsens the quality of life of cancer patients, causing lack of appetite, weight loss, decreased social life and even more serious clinical consequences, such as dehydration and cachexia8-10.

Considering the relevance of these adverse effects, this study aims was to estimate the incidence and evaluate the risk factors for antineoplastic chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting with high and moderate emetogenic chemotherapy in adult patients in the first treatment cycle.

METHODS

Prospective cohort study with patients who started chemotherapy between June and December 2015 in three reference oncology hospitals in the city of Belo Horizonte (MG), whose estimated population is 2,238,526 inhabitants11. A pilot study was carried out from January to June of the same year.

We considered eligible cancer patients, older than 18 years, both men and women and who were receiving chemotherapy for the first time. Patients with nausea or vomiting 24 hours before chemotherapy, who underwent abdominal radiotherapy concomitantly with chemotherapy, and those with inability to verbal communication were excluded. Participants underwent one-day chemotherapy protocols, followed up in the first treatment cycle until the fifth day after chemotherapy infusion, and they were interviewed again in the next chemotherapy cycle.

In the first stage of the expanded research project, a structured questionnaire containing questions on socioeconomic, demographic, clinical, and quality of life (EuroQol Research Foundation 5 Dimensions and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 version 3.0) was answered by patients undergoing the first cycle of chemotherapy. Both questionnaires were validated for Brazilian Portuguese. The quality of life results will be described in later publications.

In the second stage, on the return to perform the second cycle of chemotherapy, data on quality of life were collected again, and the patients delivered the questionnaire of the experiences of nausea and vomiting in the period of five days. The presence of nausea and vomiting (yes/no) and the number of vomiting episodes per day were measured. Patients who did not return for the second cycle of chemotherapy were contacted by telephone and their medical records were reviewed to verify the reason for the loss to follow-up. Clinical variables of interest were also collected from medical records. The explanatory variables used were: gender, race/skin color, age, marital status, schooling, primary neoplasia, stage, presence of metastasis, alcohol and/or tobacco consumption, radiotherapy, source for treatment costing and antiemetic regimen in the late phase. The control variables were: emetogenic chemotherapy, treatment hospital and antiemetic regimen in the acute phase. The outcome variables were: acute and late nausea, acute and late vomiting.

Complete response to nausea and vomiting was defined as absence of nausea and vomiting. Complete response to vomiting was defined as no occurrence of vomiting. Absence of nausea defined a complete response to nausea. It was considered as acute phase up to 24 hours from the beginning of chemotherapy infusion, from 24 hours to five days was considered a late phase, and from beginning of chemotherapy infusion to the fifth day, the total phase. Antiemetic prophylaxis was classified as adequate or inadequate according to the international protocol of MASCC and ESMO5.

The sample was estimated considering the patients in their exposure group in HEC and MEC (Openepi® program),95% confidence level; 95% power; and percentage of positive exposures provided by the literature (HEC 90%, MEC 60%). The estimated sample consisted of 116 participants, 58 for each group.

Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed. In the bivariate analysis, the chi-square test (X2) or Fisher's exact test were used. McNemar test was used for dependent samples. The multiple models (acute phase, late phase and total phase) were controlled by the variables “hospital,” “emetogenic chemotherapy,” and “antiemetic” in the acute phase. The variables presenting p-value < 0.20 in at least one of the phases of bivariate analysis and absence of collinearity participated in the multiple logistic regression model. A p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant value. The statistical analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 20.

The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and by the co-participating hospitals (Certificate of Presentation for Ethical Appreciation – CAAE: 36059514.5.0000.514). All participants signed the informed consent form. The illiterate gave their consent by fingerprinting, and the term was read in the presence of a relative.

RESULTS

In total, 549 patients started outpatient treatment with chemotherapy in the three hospitals, during the study period. A total of 201 patients were excluded at the beginning of data collection. The reasons for exclusion were: age ≤ 18 years (two patients); previous chemotherapy (66 patients); nausea/vomiting in the previous 24 hours (19 patients), abdominal radiotherapy (18 patients), drug-induced drowsiness (23 patients), inability to communicate (52 patients); refusal to participate (15 patients), and chemotherapy for another disease (six patients).

Thus, 348 patients were eligible for follow-up, and 49 patients were lost to follow-up. The reasons for loss to follow-up were: discontinuation of chemotherapy treatment (12 patients); death (two patients); incomplete questionnaire (29 patients); and hospitalization for chemotherapy in the second cycle (six patients). The final analysis was performed with 269 participants, 152 undergoing HEC and 117 undergoing MEC. However, we present the descriptive analysis for the sample with all emetogenic chemotherapies followed. The other participants underwent other emetogenic chemotherapies.

Most participants were women, with a mean age of 55.2 years, brown-skinned, married, with an average 6.2 years of schooling and undergoing chemotherapy with HEC. Breast cancer was the most frequent primary neoplasm. The sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment-related characteristics are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Distribution of clinical, sociodemographic, life habits and emetogenic chemotherapy of chemotherapy characteristics. Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil, 2015.

HECP (n; %) (152; 50.8) MEC (n; %) (117; 39.1) LEC (n; %) (28; 9.4) UEC (n; %) (2; 0.7) All EC (n; %) (299; 100)
Sociodemographic characteristics
Gender
Female 86 (56.6) 87 (74.4) 14 (50) 1 (50) 188 (62.9)
Age (years)
Mean (SD) 54.6 (13.0) 56.0 (12.3) 64.3 (13.5) 50.5 (14.8) 56.0 (13.0)
Median 56 55 64.5 50.5 57.0
Minimum–Maximum 20–86 32–83 31–88 40–61 20–88
Age group
≤ 49 45 (29.6) 40 (34.2) 4 (14.3) 1 (50.0) 90 (30.1)
50–64 74 (48.7) 46 (39.3) 10 (35.7) 1 (50.0) 131 (43.8)
≥ 65 33 (21.7) 31 (26.5) 14 (50.0) 0 78 (26.1)
Ethnicity/Color
Brown skin 88 (57.8) 65 (55.5) 16 (57.2) 1 (50.0) 170 (56.9)
White 38 (25.0) 33 (28.2) 6 (21.4) 1 (50.0) 78 (26.1)
Black 17 (11.2) 17 (14.5) 4 (14.3) 0 38 (12.7)
Asian 7 (4.6) 1 (0.9) 2 (7.1) 0 10 (3.3)
Indigenous 1 (0.7) 1 (0.9) 0 0 2 (0.7)
No record 1 (0.7) 1 (0.3)
Marital status
Married 72 (47.3) 65 (55.6) 17 (60.7) 1 (50.0) 155 (51.8)
Single 33 (21.7) 26 (22.2) 3 (10.7) 1 (50.0) 63 (21.1)
Divorced 27 (17.8) 15 (12.8) 5 (17.9) 0 47 (15.7)
Widow/widower 20 (13.2) 11 (9.4) 3 (10.7) 0 34 (11.4)
Schooling (years)
Mean (SD) 5.7 (3.5) 7 (4.2) 5.3 (4.2) 13.5 (3.5) 6.2 (4.3)
Median 4.0 6.7 4.0 13.5 5.0
Minimum – Maximum 0–16 0–20 0–14 11–16 0–20
Illiterate 18 (11.8) 4 (3.4) 5 (17.9) 0 27 (9.0)
4 64 (42.1) 42 (36.0) 13 (46.4) 0 119 (39.8)
5–8 31 (20.4) 30 (25.6) 2 (7.1) 0 63 (21.1)
9–12 29 (19.1) 31 (26.5) 7 (25.0) 1 (50.0) 68 (22.7)
≥ 13 8 (5.3) 9 (7.7) 1 (3.6) 1 (50.0) 19 (6.4)
No record 2 (1.3) 1 (0.8) 3 (1.0)
Clinical Characteristics
Primary neoplasm
Breast 0 56 (47.8) 1 (3.6) 0 57 (19.1)
Colon and rectum 0 31 (26.5) 16 (57.1) 0 47 (15.7)
Cervical 44 (28.9) 0 0 0 44 (14.7)
HNF: 41 (27.0) 0 0 0 41 (13.7)
Lung 22 (14.5) 9 (7.7) 0 0 31 (10.4)
Esophagus/stomach 11 (7.3) 7 (6.0) 3 (10.7) 0 21 (7.0)
Ovary 9 (5.9) 5 (4.3) 0 0 14 (4.7)
Lymphoma 3 (2.0) 5 (4.3) 0 2 (100.0) 10 (3.3)
Others 22 (14.5) 4 (3.4) 8 (28.6) 0 34 (11.3)
Stage
I 12 (7.9) 7 (6.0) 0 0 19 (6.4)
II 21 (13.8) 29 (24.7) 6 (21.4) 0 56 (18.7)
III 50 (32.9) 54 (46.2) 10 (35.7) 1 (50.0) 115 (38.5)
IV 54 (35.5) 23 (19.6) 10 (35.7) 1 (50.0) 88 (29.4)
Not registered 15 (9.9) 4 (3.5) 2 (7.2) 21 (7.0)
Metastasis 65 (42.8) 54 (46.2) 17 (60.7) 2 (100.0) 138 (46.1)
Life Habits
Alcohol
Currently 14 (9.2) 21 (17.9) 4 (14.3) 0 39 (13.0)
Before treatment 81 (53.3) 47 (40.2) 11 (39.3) 1 (50.0) 140 (46.9)
Never 57 (37.5) 49 (41.9) 13 (46.4) 1 (50.0) 120 (40.1)
Tobacco
Currently 22 (14.5) 9 (7.7) 3 (10.7) 0 34 (11.4)
Before treatment 72 (47.3) 47 (40.2) 10 (35.7) 1 (50.0) 130 (43.5)
Never 58 (38.2) 61 (52.1) 15 (53.6) 1 (50.0) 135 (45.1)
Treatment
Radiotherapy 94 (61.8) 9 (7.7) 5 (17.9) 0 108 (36.1)
Chemo costing
SUS 148 (97.4) 105 (89.7) 26 (92.9) 1 (50.0) 280 (93.7)
Health insurance plan 3 (2.0) 8 (6.8) 0 1 (50.0) 12 (4.0)
Private 0 2 (1.7) 2 (7.1) 0 4 (1.3)
No record 1 (0.6) 2 (1.7) 3 (1.0)

HEC: high emetogenic chemotherapy; MEC: moderate emetogenic chemotherapy; LEC: low emetogenic chemotherapy; UEC: unclassified emetogenic chemotherapy; SD: standard deviation II; HN: head and neck; Chemo: chemotherapy; SUS: Brazilian Unified Health System.

The chemotherapy protocols were: CDDP (Cisplatin), 87 (32.3%); AC (Cyclophosphamide < 1500mg/m2 and Doxorubicin), 49 (18.2%); CDDP-P (Cisplatin and Paclitaxel), 23 (8.6%); Carboplatin and Paclitaxel, 21 (7.8%); FOLFOX (5-Fluouracil and Leucovorin), 18 (6.7%); Cisplatin and Fluouracil, 11 (4.1%); PE (Cisplatin and Etoposide), 7 (2.6%); R-CHOP, 4 (1.5%); FLOX, 4 (1.5%); and others, 45 (16.7%).

The prophylaxis of prescribed antiemetics was inadequate for the acute phase and for the late phase, considering the MASCC and ESMO protocol for all patients.

Note that, in the acute phase, all patients received prophylactic infusion of intravenous antiemetics in the hospital. Out of these, 151 (99.3%) patients undergoing chemotherapy with HEC and 117 (100%) patients undergoing chemotherapy with MEC received ondansetron (5-HT3RA). Dexamethasone was administered to 149 (98%) patients undergoing HEC chemotherapy and in 114 (97.4%) undergoing MEC. Also, ranitidine was administered to 31 (20.4%) patients undergoing chemotherapy with HEC and to 31 (26.5%) patients undergoing MEC. Omeprazole was administered to 10 (6.6%) patients, dimehydrinate to 16 (10.5%) and metoclopramide to 12 (10.3%). No patient received neurokinin antagonist (NK1).

In the late phase, 139 (91.4%) patients undergoing chemotherapy with HEC and 103 (88%) of the patients undergoing MEC chemotherapy were prescribed antiemetics for consumption at home. Ondansetron was prescribed for 111 (79.9%) patients undergoing chemotherapy with HEC and 90 (87.4%) patients undergoing MEC. Dexamethasone was prescribed for 61 (43.9%) and 52 (50.5%) patients undergoing HEC and MEC, respectively. Metoclopramide was prescribed for 100 (71.9%) patients undergoing HEC and for 68 (66%) patients undergoing MEC. Omeprazole was prescribed for 10 (7.2%) and 11 (10.7%) undergoing HEC and MEC, respectively. Bromopride was prescribed for 9 (6.5%) and 6 (5.8%) undergoing HEC and MEC, respectively. Dimenhydrinate was prescribed for 15 patients (nine HEC and six MEC), diphenhydramine for four patients, bromopride for two (one HEC and one MEC), domperidone for 1 patient undergoing MEC and draminate for four (three MEC and one HEC. NK1 antagonist was not prescribed for any patient.

The incidence of nausea for all participants in the total phase was 58%, and the incidence of vomiting was 32.7%. In the acute phase, the incidence of nausea was 31%, and vomiting was 11.2%. The incidence of nausea in the late phase was 54.6%, and vomiting was 29.3%.

The incidence of nausea for HEC and MEC in the total phase was 63.2% and 51.3%, and vomiting was 45.8% and 19.7%, respectively. In the acute phase, the incidence of nausea for HEC and MEC was 35.1% and 25.6%, and vomiting was 15.2% and 6%, respectively. In the late phase, the incidence of nausea for HEC and MEC was 59.2% and 48.7%, and vomiting was 38.8% and 17.1%, respectively.

The daily relative frequency showed that, for both outcomes, participants undergoing chemotherapy with HEC presented higher values when compared with patients undergoing MEC chemotherapy. The daily relative frequency of CINV is shown in Figure 1.

Figure. Relative frequency of nausea and vomiting during the five-day period after chemotherapy infusion. Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil, 2015.

Figure

The relative frequency of nausea was higher when compared with vomiting in the acute phase (p < 0.001) and in the late phase (p < 0.001).

In the acute phase, among the 11.2% of patients who had vomiting, the mean number of vomiting was 2.7; median of 2.0, minimum of 1 and maximum of 7 vomiting. In the late phase, among the 29.3% of patients who had vomiting, the average number was 16; median of 13, minimum of 5 and maximum of 32 vomiting.

The proportion of complete responses for nausea and vomiting was statistically different between the emetogenic chemotherapies, for the total phase. In the acute phase, a statistically significant difference was observed only for the complete response to vomiting between the two groups of emetogenic chemotherapy. In the late phase, there was a difference between the groups of patients who received HEC and MEC for vomiting, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Incidence of complete response to antineoplastic chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting according to the occurrence phase and emetogenic chemotherapy. Belo Horizonte (MG) Brazil, 2015.

Emetogenic chemotherapy n = 269 p*
HEC (n = 152; 56.5%) MEC (n = 117; 43.5%)
Complete phase (acute/late phase)
Complete nausea and vomiting Response 49 (32.2) 55 (47.0) 0.014
Complete vomiting response 87 (57.2) 94 (80.3) < 0.001
Complete nausea response 56 (36.8) 57 (48.7) 0.050
Acute phase
Complete nausea and vomiting Response 97 (64.2) 86 (73.5) 0.106
Complete vomiting response 128 (84.8) 110 (94.0) 0.017
Complete nausea response 98 (64.9) 87 (74.4) 0.097
Late phase
Complete nausea and vomiting Response 56 (36.8) 57 (48.7) 0.050
Complete vomiting response 93 (61.2) 97 (82.9) < 0.001
Complete nausea response 62 (40.8) 60 (51.3) 0.087

HEC: high emetogenic chemotherapy; MEC: moderate emetogenic chemotherapy.

*

Chi-square test.

Sociodemographic, clinical factors, lifestyle habits, and treatments associated with complete response to antineoplastic chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting were stratified by treatment phase, and they are presented in Table 3.

Table 3. Complete response to nausea/vomiting according to sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment phase variables. Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil, 2015.

Complete Nausea/vomiting response
Acute phase Late phase Total phase
Total number of participants (%) pa Total number of participants (%) pa Total number of participants (%) pa
Gender
Female 172 (67.4) 0.692 173 (38.7) 0.144 173 (37.0) 0.451
Male 96 (69.8) 96 (47.9) 96 (41.7)
Age group
≤ 49 84 (69.0) 0.317 85 (35.3) 0.085 85 (32.9) 0.024
50–64 120 (64.2) 120 (40.8) 120 (35.0)
≥ 65 64 (75.0) 64 (53.1) 64 (53.1)
Marital status
Married 137 (67.2) 0.326 137 (37.2) 0.363 137 (35.0) 0.242
Single 59 (74.6) 59 (47.5) 59 (44.1)
Divorced 41 (58.5) 42 (42.9) 42 (33.3)
Widow/widower 31 (74.2) 31 (51.6) 31 (51.6)
Schooling (years)
Illiterate 22 (59.1) 0.637 22 (40.9) 0.681 22 (40.9) 0.803
4 106 (67.0) 106 (44.3) 106 (40.6)
5–8 61 (75.4) 61 (42.6) 61 (41.0)
9–12 59 (66.1) 60 (35.0) 60 (31.7)
≥ 13 17 (6.4) 17 (52.9) 17 (41.2)
Stage
I 19 (73.7) 0.387 19 (36.8) 0.260 19 (36.8) 0.670
II 50 (58.0) 50 (32.0) 50 (32.0)
III 103 (68.9) 104 (43.3) 104 (39.4)
IV 77 (71.4) 77 949.4) 77 (42.9)
Metastasis
Yes 119 (70.6) 0.469 119 (42.0) 0.998 119 (38.7) 0.999
No 149 (66.4) 150 (42.0) 150 (38.7)
Alcohol
Currently 35 (80.0) 0.271 35 (42.9) 0.782 35 (42.9) 0.663
Former smoker 128 (67.2) 128 (39.8) 128 (35.9)
Never 105 (65.7) 106 (44.3) 106 (40.6)
Tobacco
Currently 31 (41.9) 0.002 31 (29.0) 0.086 31 (22.6) 0.051
Former smoker 119 (75.6) 119 (48.7) 119 (51.9)
Never smoked 118 (67.8) 119 (38.7) 119 (36.1)
Chemotherapy costing
SUS 252 (67.6) 0.476 253 (41.5) 0.648 253 (38.3) 0.605
Health insurance plan 13 (76.9) 13 (46.2) 13 (38.5)
Access to antiemetics at home
Purchased/did not purchase 157 (65.0) 0.165 157 (40.1) 0.460 157 (37.6) 0.666
Did not purchase 111 (73.0) 112 (44.6) 112 (40.2)
Hospital
Hospital 1 69 (84.0) 0.015 69 (47.8) 0.642 69 (47.8) 0.513
Hospital 2 139 (64.7) 140 (46.4) 140 (40.0)
Hospital 3 90 (68.8) 90 (41.1) 90 (40.0)
Emetogenic chemotherapy
Hec 151 (64.2) 0.106 152 (36.8) 0.05 152 (32.2) 0.014
Mec 117 (73.5) 117 (48.7) 117 (47.0)
Acute phase antiemetic
Simplified scheme 7 (71.4) 0.820 7 (71.4) 0.071 7 (57.1) 0.209
Dexamethasone + ondansetron 200 (67.0) 201 (38.3) 201 (35.8)
Dexamethasone + Ondansetron + other 61 (72.1) 61 (51.0) 61 (46.0)
Late phase antiemetic
Ondansetrona and others 78 (38.5) 0.505 78 (30.8) 0.313
Dexamethasone + Ondansetron + other antiemetics 73 (43.8) 73(42.5)
Other antiemeticsb 34 (29.4) 34 (29.4)
Dexamethasone + ondansetron 31 (41.9) 31 (35.5)
Ondansetron 16 (37.5) 16 (37.5)
Dexamethasone and others 7 (71.4) 7 (71.4)
Dexamethasone 2 (50.0) 2 (50.0)

SUS: Unified Health System; HEC: high emetogenic chemotherapy; MEC: moderate emetogenic chemotherapy.

a

Fisher's exact test or chi-square test

b

other antiemetics: h2 antagonist (diphenhydramine, dimenhydrinate, bromopride, omeprazole, ranitidine) and dopamine receptor antagonist (metoclopramide).

In the bivariate analysis, differences in the complete response to CINV were observed in the acute phase regarding the variables tobacco use and hospital treatment. In the acute phase, a lower proportion of complete response was identified in Hospital 2 (64.7%) compared with the other two hospitals, and among smokers (41.9%), compared with patients who had never smoked or who are former smokers. In the total phase, the variables age group and emetogenic chemotherapy showed statistically significant differences. In the total phase, the age group younger than 49 years had a lower incidence of complete response (32.9%), and patients undergoing chemotherapy with HEC had lower complete response (32.2%) compared with patients undergoing MEC. The bivariate analysis can be verified in Table 3.

In the total phase, the lower age groups (≤ 49 years and 50–64 years) decreased the complete response compared with the upper age group (≥ 65 years) – odds ratio (OR) = 0.47; 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 0.23–0.95 versus OR = 0.45; 95%CI 0.23–0.87. The complete response also increases in this phase when we compare patients who have never smoked with former smokers (OR = 1.91; 95%CI 1.02–3.57). Also in this phase, the complete response decreased in patients undergoing chemotherapy with HEC, when compared with patients undergoing MEC (OR = 0.55; 95%CI 0.31–0.95).

Multiple logistic regression showed that, in the acute phase, smoking decreases the complete response compared to patients who had never smoked (OR = 0.35; 95%CI 0.14–0.88). Hospital 1 showed a better complete response in the acute phase, when compared to Hospital 3 (OR = 2.71; 95%CI 1.14–6.42).

In the late phase, the complete response decreases in patients undergoing chemotherapy with HEC, when compared with patients undergoing MEC (OR = 0.56; 95%CI 0.32–0.97). The variables inserted in the multiple logistic regression model are presented in Table 4.

Table 4. Multiple logistic regression for complete response of nausea/vomiting. Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil, 2015.

Factors Complete nausea/vomiting response
Acute phase Late phase Total phase
OR (95%CI) p Modela OR (95%CI) p Modela OR (95%CI) p Modela
Gender
Male 1.15 (0.60–2.21) 0.66 1.78 (0.97–3.26) 0.06 1.50 (0.81–2.78) 0.18
Female 1 1 1
Age group
≤ 49 0.81 (0.37–1.76) 0.51 0.54 (0.27–1.10) 0.14 0.46 (0.23–0.95) 0.03
50–64 0.65 (0.32–1.35) 0.54 (0.28–1.05) 0.45 (0.23–0.87)
≥ 65 1 1 1
Alcohol
Former alcoholic 0.96 (0.47–1.95) 0.28 0.52 (0.26–1.02) 0.16 0.55 (0.28–1.0) 0.08
Alcoholic 2.08 (0.76–5.70) 0.77 (0.33–1.79) 0.90 (0.38–2.1)
Nonalcoholic 1 1 1
Tobacco
Former smoker 1.64 (0.83–3.22) 0.02 1.86 (1.00–3.45) 0.07 1.91 (1.02–3.57) 0.04
Smoker 0.35 (0.14–0.88) 0.91(0.35–2.35) 0.75 (0.27–2.05)
Never smoked 1 1 1
Emetogenic chemotherapy
HEC 0.85 (0.47–1.54) 0.60 0.56 (0.32–0.97) 0.04 0.55 (0.31–0.95) 0.03
MEC 1 1 1
Acute Phase Antiemetic
Simplified schemeb 0.69 (0.10–4.69) 0.93 3.27 (0.51–20.81) 0.13 1.91 (0.33–11.12) 0.47
Dexamethasone + Ondansetron 0.94 (0.46–1.93) 0.66 (0.35–1.27) 0.77 (0.40–1.48)
Dexamethasone + Ondansetron + other 1 1 1
Hospital
Hospital 1 2.71 (1.14–6.42) 0.02 1.06 (0.51–2.21) 0.87 1.22 (0.58–2.54) 0.78
Hospital 2 0.90 (0.47–1.72) 1.17 (0.63–2.20) 0.96 (0.50–1.82)
Hospital 3 1 1 1

OR: odds ratio; 95%CI: confidence interval; HEC: high emetogenic chemotherapy; MEC: moderate emetogenic chemotherapy.

a

p model: multiple logistic regression.

b

Simplified scheme: ondansetron + another antiemetic or dexamethasone + other antiemetic or ondansetron.

DISCUSSION

The sample was mostly composed of women, with stage III breast cancer, aged between 50 and 64 years, married, with up to four years of schooling, former smokers and former alcoholics, with treatment funded by the Unified Health System (SUS). The incidence of nausea for both emetogenic chemotherapies in the total phase was 58%, and the incidence of vomiting was 32.7%.

Breast cancer was the most frequent in women (33.1%), as found in prospective observational studies that evaluated CINV9-10,12-14. Breast cancer is the most common among women both in Brazil and worldwide, and mortality caused by it may be associated with social inequalities15,16. Furthermore, 94.1% of chemotherapy costs was funded by SUS, and 67.9% of the patients presented themselves with advanced stage of the disease (stage III and IV), initiating chemotherapy treatment. These data corroborate the official estimate of cancer incidence in Brazil, in which it is emphasized that cancers, including breast cancers, which have screening, are diagnosed in an advanced stage17.

The incidence of CINV in the acute phase was lower than in the late phase, with a peak on the third day (43.5%) after chemotherapy infusion, for both emetogenic chemotherapies. A similar result was highlighted in previous studies, in which the incidence of nausea and vomiting was lower in the acute phase9,13.

Nausea is a subjective adverse effect, but it is more frequent than vomiting, and with the potential for worsening quality of life and nutritional status of patients undergoing chemotherapy18. Non-pharmacological therapies are indicated for the control of nausea, such as distraction techniques and ginger consumption19-20.

Acute nausea presented a lower incidence (31%) when compared with a recent study13 (46%) which was composed of patients who were also undergoing both emetogenic chemotherapies (HEC and MEC). The occurrence of late nausea (54.6%) was also lower than that reported in the aforementioned study, which found an incidence of 82.7%13.

In our study, the complete response to vomiting was 61.2% and nausea was 40.8% in patients undergoing HEC in the acute phase. Higher frequencies for complete vomiting response (86%) and nausea (81%) have been observed in previous studies12.

The occurrence of vomiting (29.4%) in the late phase was higher than that found in a previous study (23%)13-14. When comparing the incidence of late vomiting by emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC: 38.8% and MEC: 17.1%) we also found a higher proportion than that found by other authors (19.2% for HEC and 16.1% for MEC)12.

The complete response to vomiting in the total phase was 57.2% for patients undergoing HEC and 80.3% for patients undergoing MEC. In a previous study12, the complete response to vomiting was 74.8% in patients undergoing HEC, a percentage higher than that found in this study. However, the complete response for patients undergoing MEC was similar, 80%12.

The complete response to CINV in the total phase was observed for 38.7% of the patients, after undergoing antineoplastic chemotherapy with HEC and MEC. This proportion was lower when compared with those found in previous studies, in which the complete response in the first cycle was 53.4%21 and 69%12.

In our study, no patient received an antiemetic regimen with NK1 receptor antagonist. In a previous study13, the antiemetic regimen 5-HT3RA + dexamethasone was prescribed for 62.9% patients, and the 5-HT3RA regimen was prescribed for 18.2%, and 78.6% of patients received antiemetic regimen recommended by the protocol. In another study21, during the first cycle of chemotherapy, the adequacy of antiemetic prescription to the protocol was 63.4% in the acute phase and 59.7% in the late phase.

Note that antiemetic regimens are not prescribed according to protocols. We found no association between the prescribed regimens and the complete response for different phases analyzed. Note that more recent studies have shown that antiemetic regimens composed of the association of 5-HT3RA + NK1 antagonist and corticosteroids have better controlled CINV in both acute and late phases22,23. Patients who received chemotherapy with HEC presented lower complete responses for late and total phase, in comparison with patients undergoing MEC, corroborating the previous literature21,24.

The lower age groups (≤ 49 and 50-64 years) were a risk factor for CINV. These results were similar in previous studies, in which age groups below 50–55 years showed worsening of the complete response to CINV14,21,24,25.

A previous study showed that CINV were less frequent among smoking patients compared with non-smokers26. In our study, in the late and total phases, there was an inverse association between former smokers and presenting a better complete response, compared to patients who had never smoked. Previous contact with tobacco and non-current smoking was a negative factor for CINV. However, one study emphasized the harms of smoking for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, among them: weight loss, skin and sleep complications and incidence of nausea, compared with patients who did not smoke27.

No evidence was found relating women as a risk factor for CINV, which corroborates the previous result21,28. However, some studies indicate that women would be more susceptible to CINV14.

No difference in CINV was found between users and non-users of alcohol. The consumption of five or more doses of alcohol per week was associated with complete response to vomiting in a previous study28. Another study found an association, in the first cycle of chemotherapy, for patients who consumed more than 11 doses of alcohol per week for the outcome of acute vomiting, compared with patients who did not consume alcohol or doses per week, with the highest alcohol consumption being a protective factor against CINV. Alcohol consumption was not associated with a difference in response to NCIV in previous literature24.

Hospital 1 has a characteristic that differentiates it, which may have influenced the increase in the complete response to acute phase compared with Hospital 3. An association was found between the hospital and the antiemetic regimen administered to the patient in the acute phase. Hospital 1 patients received 5-HT3RA + corticosteroid + other antiemetic regimen (closer to what is recommended by the MASCC and ESMO protocols) in 39.3% of the cases.

Some factors not researched until now may have influenced the improvement of complete response to nausea and vomiting in the acute phase in Hospital 1, compared with Hospital 3. Specifically for the control of nausea and vomiting, the physical structure of the chemotherapy rooms (ventilation, odors, stay of the patients’ companion) can be highlighted. The cerebral cortex identifies some factors related to the hospital environment that can induce nausea and vomiting3. Previous studies have found an association between the support of the caretaker/family member perceived by the patient and the response to NCIV control29. It is known that other resources may influence the control of nausea and vomiting, such as acupuncture, ginger consumption, fractional and cold feeding, and relaxation and distraction techniques – which was not investigated in this study and may have predominated in the participants of Hospital 130.

Among the limitations of our study, the absence of any measure on dose of alcohol consumption stands out. The variable “use of antiemetic rescue use” in households was not used, as there could be memory bias of the participants (the use of medications was not included in the recall questionnaire of the experiences of nausea and vomiting).

In this study, the incidence of nausea was higher than that of vomiting, and the late phase had a higher frequency of both adverse effects. The results suggest that tobacco, young age and high emetogenic chemotherapy are among the risk factors for episodes of CINV. The treatment occurring in Hospital 1 was related to a better complete response in the acute phase compared to Hospital 3. All patients received antiemetic prophylaxis in the acute phase, although the prescription of antiemetic regimens did not meet the protocols used in this study as a reference for patients undergoing high and moderate emetogenic chemotherapy.

Funding Statement

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (MCTI/CNPq/Universal 14/2014). Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais – FAPEMIG (2/2015 CDS PPM 00176-15 and 14/2013 APQ-03475-13). Support from the Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa (PRPq) of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (institutional program for payment of publication fee in indexed journals – 02/2020).

Footnotes

Funding:

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (MCTI/CNPq/Universal 14/2014). Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais – FAPEMIG (2/2015 CDS PPM 00176-15 and 14/2013 APQ-03475-13). Support from the Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa (PRPq) of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (institutional program for payment of publication fee in indexed journals – 02/2020).

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Rev Saude Publica. 2020 Nov 4;54:106. [Article in Portuguese]

Fatores de risco associados a náuseas e vômitos induzidos por quimioterapia antineoplásica

Giovana Paula Rezende Simino I,, Ilka Afonso Reis II, Francisco de Assis Acurcio III, Eli Iola Gurgel Andrade IV, Natalia Maria Linhares Brazil V, Mariângela Leal Cherchiglia IV

RESUMO

OBJETIVO:

Estimar a incidência e avaliar os fatores de risco para náuseas e vômitos induzidos por antineoplásicos com alto e moderado potencial emético em pacientes adultos, no primeiro ciclo de tratamento.

MÉTODOS:

Estudo de coorte prospectiva, com 269 adultos acompanhados durante o primeiro ciclo de quimioterapia antineoplásica. A incidência de náuseas e vômitos foi avaliada na fase aguda (0–24 horas), na fase tardia (24 horas–5° dia) e na fase total (0–5° dia).

RESULTADOS:

152 pacientes foram submetidos a quimioterápico com alto potencial emético e 117 a moderado potencial emético. A frequência relativa de náuseas foi maior quando comparada à de vômitos na fase aguda (p < 0,001) e na fase tardia (p < 0,001). Os fatores de risco identificados foram: faixa etária ≤ 49 anos (odds ratio = 0,47; IC95% 0,23–0,95) e 50–64 anos (odds ratio = 0,45; IC95% 0,23–0,87), uso de tabaco (odds ratio = 0,35; IC95% 0,14–0,88) e alto potencial emético dos quimioterápicos (odds ratio 0,55; IC95% 0,31–0,95).

CONCLUSÃO:

A incidência de náuseas foi maior do que a de vômitos, e na fase tardia os efeitos adversos foram mais frequentes. Os resultados sugerem que os fatores de risco para náuseas e vômitos induzidos por quimioterapia são o tabaco, a idade (adultos jovens) e o alto potencial emético do quimioterápico.

DESCRITORES: Antineoplásicos, efeitos adversos; Náusea; Vômito, prevenção & controle; Antieméticos; Neoplasias, terapia; Estudos de Coortes

INTRODUÇÃO

O câncer é um problema de saúde pública. A prevenção e o controle da doença são desafios para este século. No entanto, os efeitos adversos dos antineoplásicos pioram a qualidade de vida, trazem custos e podem levar à interrupção do tratamento. As náuseas e vômitos induzidos por quimioterapia antineoplásica (NVIQA) são os efeitos adversos gastrointestinais mais frequentes, apesar dos avanços nas terapêuticas profiláticas existentes1. A náusea é descrita como uma sensação subjetiva, indolor, que antecede o vômito, e o vômito é descrito como a expulsão do conteúdo gástrico pela boca23.

Os episódios de NVIQA podem ser classificados de acordo com a fase de sua ocorrência. As primeiras 24 horas após o início da infusão da quimioterapia são denominadas “fase aguda”. O período que vai das 24 horas até 5 dias é denominado “fase tardia”4.

Dentre os fatores de risco para NVIQA, destaca-se o potencial emético da quimioterapia, que pode ser classificado em alto potencial emético (APE), moderado potencial emético (Mope), baixo potencial emético (BPE) ou mínimo potencial emético (MIPE), e há ainda tipos de quimioterapia de potencial emético não classificado (NP)5. Outros fatores de risco são: ser do sexo feminino, já ter recebido quimioterapia em tratamentos anteriores, ter idade inferior a 50 anos, usar alguns fármacos, estado emocional prejudicado, metástases cerebrais, uso de tabaco e não consumo de álcool6.

O risco de NVIQA para pacientes submetidos à quimioterapia com APE e Mope é estimado em 90% e 30–90%, respectivamente. No Brasil, não há protocolo antiemético estabelecido. No entanto, o Consenso Brasileiro de Náuseas e Vômitos em Cuidados Paliativos referencia o protocolo da Associação Multinacional de Suporte no Cuidado em Câncer (MASCC) e da Sociedade Europeia de Oncologia Médica (ESMO)7. As NVIQA pioram a qualidade de vida de pacientes com câncer, provocando inapetência, perda de peso, diminuição do convívio social e até consequências clínicas mais graves, como desidratação e caquexia810.

Diante dos impactos desses efeitos adversos, o objetivo deste estudo foi estimar a incidência e avaliar os fatores de risco para náuseas e vômitos induzidos por antineoplásicos com alto e moderado potencial emético em pacientes adultos, no primeiro ciclo de tratamento.

MÉTODOS

Estudo de coorte prospectiva, com pacientes que iniciaram quimioterapia para câncer no período de junho a dezembro de 2015 em três hospitais de referência em oncologia no município de Belo Horizonte (MG), cuja população estimada é de 2.238.526 habitantes11. Estudo-piloto foi realizado no período de janeiro a junho deste mesmo ano.

Pacientes com câncer, idade ≥ 18 anos, de ambos os sexos e virgens de tratamento quimioterápico foram considerados elegíveis para o estudo. Foram excluídos pacientes com náuseas ou vômitos nas 24 horas que antecederam a quimioterapia, que faziam radioterapia abdominal concomitantemente à quimioterapia, e com incapacidade para comunicação verbal. Os participantes foram submetidos a protocolos de quimioterapia de um dia, acompanhados no primeiro ciclo de tratamento até o quinto dia após infusão do quimioterápico e entrevistados novamente no próximo ciclo de quimioterapia.

Na primeira etapa do projeto de pesquisa ampliado, um questionário estruturado, contendo questões socioeconômicas, demográficas, clínicas e de qualidade de vida (questionários EuroQol Research Foundation 5 Dimensions e European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 versão 3.0) foi respondido por pacientes que passavam pelo primeiro ciclo da quimioterapia. Ambos os questionários foram validados para a língua portuguesa no Brasil. Os resultados de qualidade de vida serão descritos em publicações posteriores.

Na segunda etapa, no retorno para realizar o segundo ciclo de quimioterapia, novamente foram coletados dados de qualidade de vida, e os pacientes entregaram o questionário recordatório das experiências de náuseas e vômitos no período de cinco dias. Foram mensurados a presença de náuseas e vômitos (sim/não) e o número de episódios de vômito por dia. Os pacientes que não retornaram para o segundo ciclo de quimioterapia foram contatados por telefone e seus prontuários foram revisados para verificar o motivo da perda de acompanhamento. Variáveis clínicas de interesse também foram coletadas dos prontuários. As variáveis explicativas utilizadas foram: sexo, raça/cor da pele, idade, estado civil, escolaridade, neoplasia primária, estádio, presença de metástase, consumo de álcool e/ou tabaco, tratamento radioterápico, fonte para custeio do tratamento e esquema antiemético na fase tardia. As variáveis de controle foram: potencial emético, hospital de tratamento e esquema antiemético na fase aguda. As variáveis de desfecho foram: náusea aguda e tardia, vômito agudo e tardio.

Resposta completa para náusea e vômito foi definida como ausência de náusea e vômito. Resposta completa para vômitos foi definida como nenhum episódio de vômito. Ausência de náusea definiu resposta completa para náusea. Considerou-se como fase aguda até 24 horas a partir do início da infusão de quimioterapia, como fase tardia das 24 horas até cinco dias, e como fase total o início da infusão de quimioterapia até o quinto dia. A profilaxia de antieméticos foi classificada como adequada ou inadequada de acordo com o protocolo internacional da MASCC e ESMO5.

A amostra foi calculada considerando os pacientes em seu grupo de exposição em APE e Mope (programa Openepi®), nível de confiança de 95%; poder de 95%; e porcentagem de expostos positivos dada pela literatura (APE 90%, Mope 60%). A amostra calculada foi de 116 participantes, 58 para cada grupo.

Foi realizada análise estatística descritiva e inferencial. Na análise bivariada, foram utilizados o teste qui-quadrado (X2) ou teste exato de Fisher. Para amostras dependentes, utilizou-se o teste de McNemar. Os modelos múltiplos (fase aguda, fase tardia e fase total) foram controlados pelas variáveis “hospital”, “potencial emético” e “antiemético” na fase aguda. As variáveis que tiveram valor-p < 0,20 em pelo menos uma das fases da análise bivariada e ausência de colinearidade participaram do modelo de regressão logística múltipla. Foi considerado estatisticamente significante valor-p < 0,05. As análises estatísticas foram realizadas com o software Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) versão 20.

O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais e pelos hospitais coparticipantes (Certificado de Apresentação para Apreciação Ética – CAAE: 36059514.5.0000.514). Os participantes assinaram termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido. Os analfabetos deram sua anuência por meio da impressão da digital, e o termo foi lido na presença de um familiar.

RESULTADOS

No total, durante o período analisado, 549 pacientes iniciaram tratamento ambulatorial com quimioterapia nas três instituições hospitalares. Foram excluídos 201 pacientes no início da coleta de dados. Os motivos para exclusão foram: idade ≤ 18 anos (2 pacientes); quimioterapia prévia (66 pacientes); náusea/vômito nas 24 horas anteriores (19 pacientes), radioterapia abdominal (18 pacientes), sonolência induzida por medicamento (23 pacientes), incapacidade de se comunicar (52 pacientes); recusa em participar (15 pacientes) e quimioterapia para para outro tipo de doença (6 pacientes).

Desta maneira, 348 pacientes foram elegíveis para o acompanhamento, e a perda de acompanhamento ocorreu com 49 pacientes. Os motivos para perda de acompanhamento foram: interrupção do tratamento quimioterápico (12 pacientes); óbito (2 pacientes); não preencheram o questionário de forma adequada no período de 5 dias (29 pacientes); e quimioterapia hospitalizada no segundo ciclo (6 pacientes). A análise final foi realizada com 269 participantes, 152 submetidos a APE e 117 submetidos a Mope. No entanto, apresentamos a análise descritiva para a amostra com todos os potenciais eméticos acompanhados. Os demais participantes realizaram tratamento com quimioterapia de outros potenciais eméticos.

Os participantes foram predominantemente do sexo feminino, com idade média de 55,2 anos, pardos, casados, com 6,2 anos de estudo em média e submetidos a quimioterapia com APE. A neoplasia primária mais frequente foi o câncer de mama. As características sociodemográficas, clínicas e relacionadas ao tratamento estão na Tabela 1.

Tabela 1. Distribuição das características clínicas, sociodemográficas, hábitos de vida e potencial emético dos quimioterápicos. Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil, 2015.

APE (n; %) (152; 50,8) Mope (n; %) (117; 39,1) BPE (n; %) (28; 9,4) NP (n; %) (2; 0,7) Todos (n; %) (299; 100)
Características Sociodemográficas
Sexo
Feminino 86 (56,6) 87 (74,4) 14 (50) 1 (50) 188 (62,9)
Idade (anos)
Média (DP) 54,6 (13,0) 56,0 (12,3) 64,3 (13,5) 50,5 (14,8) 56,0 (13,0)
Mediana 56 55 64,5 50,5 57,0
Mínimo–Máximo 20–86 32–83 31–88 40–61 20–88
Faixa etária
≤ 49 45 (29,6) 40 (34,2) 4 (14,3) 1 (50,0) 90 (30,1)
50–64 74 (48,7) 46 (39,3) 10 (35,7) 1 (50,0) 131 (43,8)
≥ 65 33 (21,7) 31 (26,5) 14 (50,0) 0 78 (26,1)
Raça/Cor
Parda 88 (57,8) 65 (55,5) 16 (57,2) 1 (50,0) 170 (56,9)
Branca 38 (25,0) 33 (28,2) 6 (21,4) 1 (50,0) 78 (26,1)
Preta 17 (11,2) 17 (14,5) 4 (14,3) 0 38 (12,7)
Amarela 7 (4,6) 1 (0,9) 2 (7,1) 0 10 (3,3)
Indígena 1 (0,7) 1 (0,9) 0 0 2 (0,7)
Não registrado 1 (0,7) 1 (0,3)
Estado civil
Casado 72 (47,3) 65 (55,6) 17 (60,7) 1 (50,0) 155 (51,8)
Solteiro 33 (21,7) 26 (22,2) 3 (10,7) 1 (50,0) 63 (21,1)
Divorciado 27 (17,8) 15 (12,8) 5 (17,9) 0 47 (15,7)
Viúvo 20 (13,2) 11 (9,4) 3 (10,7) 0 34 (11,4)
Estudo (anos)
Média (DP) 5,7 (3,5) 7 (4,2) 5,3 (4,2) 13,5 (3,5) 6,2 (4,3)
Mediana 4,0 6,7 4,0 13,5 5,0
Mínimo - Máximo 0–16 0–20 0–14 11–16 0–20
Analfabeto 18 (11,8) 4 (3,4) 5 (17,9) 0 27 (9,0)
4 64 (42,1) 42 (36,0) 13 (46,4) 0 119 (39,8)
5–8 31 (20,4) 30 (25,6) 2 (7,1) 0 63 (21,1)
9–12 29 (19,1) 31 (26,5) 7 (25,0) 1 (50,0) 68 (22,7)
≥ 13 8 (5,3) 9 (7,7) 1 (3,6) 1 (50,0) 19 (6,4)
Sem registro 2 (1,3) 1 (0,8) 3 (1,0)
Características Clínicas
Neoplasia primária
Mama 0 56 (47,8) 1 (3,6) 0 57 (19,1)
Cólon e reto 0 31 (26,5) 16 (57,1) 0 47 (15,7)
Colo do útero 44 (28,9) 0 0 0 44 (14,7)
CPf 41 (27,0) 0 0 0 41 (13,7)
Pulmão 22 (14,5) 9 (7,7) 0 0 31 (10,4)
Esôfago/estômago 11 (7,3) 7 (6,0) 3 (10,7) 0 21 (7,0)
Ovário 9 (5,9) 5 (4,3) 0 0 14 (4,7)
Linfoma 3 (2,0) 5 (4,3) 0 2 (100,0) 10 (3,3)
Outros 22 (14,5) 4 (3,4) 8 (28,6) 0 34 (11,3)
Estádio
I 12 (7,9) 7 (6,0) 0 0 19 (6,4)
II 21 (13,8) 29 (24,7) 6 (21,4) 0 56 (18,7)
III 50 (32,9) 54 (46,2) 10 (35,7) 1 (50,0) 115 (38,5)
IV 54 (35,5) 23 (19,6) 10 (35,7) 1 (50,0) 88 (29,4)
Não registrado 15 (9,9) 4 (3,5) 2 (7,2) 21 (7,0)
Metástase 65 (42,8) 54 (46,2) 17 (60,7) 2 (100,0) 138 (46,1)
Hábitos de vida
Álcool
Atualmente 14 (9,2) 21 (17,9) 4 (14,3) 0 39 (13,0)
Anterior ao tratamento 81 (53,3) 47 (40,2) 11 (39,3) 1 (50,0) 140 (46,9)
Nunca 57 (37,5) 49 (41,9) 13 (46,4) 1 (50,0) 120 (40,1)
Tabaco
Atualmente 22 (14,5) 9 (7,7) 3 (10,7) 0 34 (11,4)
Anterior ao tratamento 72 (47,3) 47 (40,2) 10 (35,7) 1 (50,0) 130 (43,5)
Nunca 58 (38,2) 61 (52,1) 15 (53,6) 1 (50,0) 135 (45,1)
Tratamento
Radioterapia 94 (61,8) 9 (7,7) 5 (17,9) 0 108 (36,1)
Custeio QT
SUS 148 (97,4) 105 (89,7) 26 (92,9) 1 (50,0) 280 (93,7)
Plano de saúde 3 (2,0) 8 (6,8) 0 1 (50,0) 12 (4,0)
Particular 0 2 (1,7) 2 (7,1) 0 4 (1,3)
Sem registro 1 (0,6) 2 (1,7) 3 (1,0)

APE: alto potencial para êmese; Mope: moderado potencial para êmese; BPE: baixo potencial para êmese; NP: sem classificação para potencial emético; DP: desvio-padrão II; CP: cabeça e pescoço; QT: quimioterapia; SUS: Sistema Único de Saúde.

Os protocolos quimioterápicos foram: CDDP (Cisplatina), 87 (32,3%); AC (Ciclofosfamida < 1500mg/m2 e Doxorrubicina), 49 (18,2%); CDDP-P (Cisplatina e Paclitaxel), 23 (8,6%); Carboplatina e Paclitaxel, 21 (7,8%); FOLFOX (5-Fluouracil e Leucovorin), 18 (6,7%); Cisplatina e Fluouracil, 11 (4,1%); EP (Cisplatina e Etoposideo), 7 (2,6%); R-CHOP, 4 (1,5%); FLOX, 4 (1,5%); e outros, 45 (16,7%).

A profilaxia de antieméticos prescrita foi inadequada para a fase aguda e também para a fase tardia, considerando o protocolo MASCC e ESMO para todos os pacientes.

Vale ressaltar que, na fase aguda, todos os pacientes receberam infusão profilática de antiemético endovenoso no hospital. Destes, 151 (99,3%) dos pacientes submetidos à quimioterapia com APE e 117 (100%) dos pacientes submetidos à quimioterápicos com Mope receberam ondansetrona (5-HT3RA). A dexametasona foi administrada em 149 (98%) pacientes submetidos à quimioterapia APE e em 114 (97,4%) submetidos a Mope. Ainda, a ranitidina foi administrada a 31 (20,4%) pacientes submetidos quimioterapia com APE e também em 31 (26,5%) pacientes submetidos a Mope. O omeprazol foi administrado a 10 (6,6%) pacientes, dimenidrinato a 16 (10,5%) e metoclopramida a 12 (10,3%). Nenhum paciente recebeu antagonista de neurocinina (NK1).

Na fase tardia, 139 (91,4%) dos pacientes submetidos a quimioterapia com APE e 103 (88%) dos pacientes submetidos a quimioterapia com Mope receberam prescrição de antieméticos para consumo em domicílio. A ondansetrona foi prescrita para 111 (79,9%) dos pacientes submetidos a quimioterapia com APE e 90 (87,4%) dos pacientes submetidos a Mope. A dexametasona foi prescrita para 61 (43,9%) e 52 (50,5%) dos pacientes submetidos a quimioterapia com APE e Mope potencial, respectivamente. A metoclopramida foi prescrita para 100 (71,9%) dos pacientes submetidos a quimioterapia com APE e para 68 (66%) dos pacientes submetidos a Mope. O omeprazol foi prescrito para 10 (7,2%) e 11 (10,7%) submetidos a APE e Mope, respectivamente. A bromoprida foi prescrita para 9 (6,5%) e 6 (5,8%) submetidos a APE e Mope, respectivamente. Foram prescritos dimenidrinato para 15 pacientes (9 APE e 6 Mope), difenidramina para 4 (olhar Mope e APE), bromoprida para 2 (1 APE e 1 Mope), domperidona para 1 (1 Mope) e dramin para 4 (3 Mope e 1 APE). O antagonista de NK1 não foi prescrito para nenhum paciente.

A incidência de náuseas para todos os participantes na fase total foi de 58%, e a de vômitos foi de 32,7%. Na fase aguda, a incidência de náusea foi de 31%, e de vômitos foi de 11,2%. A incidência de náusea na fase tardia foi de 54,6%, e de vômitos foi de 29,3%.

A incidência de náuseas para APE e Mope na fase total foi de 63,2% e 51,3%, e de vômitos foi de 45,8% e 19,7%, respectivamente. Na fase aguda, a incidência de náuseas para APE e Mope foi de 35,1% e 25,6%, e de vômitos 15,2% e 6%, respectivamente. Na fase tardia, a incidência de náuseas para APE e Mope foi de 59,2% e 48,7%, e a de vômitos foi de 38,8% e 17,1%, respectivamente.

A frequência relativa diária mostrou que, para ambos os desfechos, os participantes submetidos a quimioterápicos com APE apresentaram valores superiores quando comparados com os submetidos a quimioterápicos Mope. A frequência relativa diária de NVIQA está apresentada na Figura 1.

Figura 1. Frequência relativa de náusea e vômito durante o período de cinco dias após infusão de quimioterapia. Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil, 2015.

Figura 1

A frequência relativa de náuseas foi maior quando comparada à de vômitos na fase aguda (p-valor < 0,001) e fase tardia (p-valor < 0,001) ao realizarmos o teste de McNemar.

Na fase aguda, dentre os 11,2% dos pacientes que tiveram vômitos, o número médio de vômitos foi de 2,7; mediana de 2,0, mínimo de 1 e máximo de 7 vômitos. Na fase tardia, dentre os 29,3% de pacientes que apresentaram vômitos, o número médio foi de 16; mediana de 13, mínimo de 5 e máximo de 32 vômitos.

A proporção de respostas completas para náusea e vômito foi estatisticamente diferente entre os potenciais eméticos Mope e APE, para fase total. Na fase aguda, houve diferença estatisticamente significativa apenas para a resposta completa de vômito entre os dois grupos de potencial emético. Na fase tardia, houve diferença entre os grupos de pacientes que receberam APE e Mope para vômito, conforme Tabela 2.

Tabela 2. Incidência de resposta completa para náuseas e vômitos induzidos por quimioterapia antineoplásica segundo fase de ocorrência e potencial emético. Belo Horizonte (MG) Brasil, 2015.

Potencial emético n = 269 p*
APE (n = 152; 56,5%) Mope (n = 117; 43,5%)
Fase completa (fase aguda/fase tardia)
Resposta completa náusea/vômito 49 (32,2) 55 (47,0) 0,014
Resposta completa vômito 87 (57,2) 94 (80,3) < 0,001
Resposta completa náusea 56 (36,8) 57 (48,7) 0,050
Fase aguda
Resposta completa náusea e vômito 97 (64,2) 86 (73,5) 0,106
Resposta completa vômito 128 (84,8) 110 (94,0) 0,017
Resposta completa náusea 98 (64,9) 87 (74,4) 0,097
Fase tardia
Resposta completa náusea e vômito 56 (36,8) 57 (48,7) 0,050
Resposta completa vômito 93 (61,2) 97 (82,9) < 0,001
Resposta completa náusea 62 (40,8) 60 (51,3) 0,087

APE: alto potencial emético; Mope: moderado potencial emético.

*

Teste qui-quadrado.

Fatores sociodemográficos, clínicos, hábitos de vida e tratamentos associados à resposta completa para náuseas e vômitos induzidos por quimioterapia antineoplásica foram estratificados por fase do tratamento e são apresentados na Tabela 3.

Tabela 3. Resposta completa para náuseas/vômitos de acordo com variáveis sociodemográficas, clínicas e fase do tratamento. Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil, 2015.

Resposta completa náusea/vômito
Fase aguda Fase tardia Fase completa
Total de participantes (%) pa Total de participantes (%) pa Total de participantes (%) pa
Sexo
Feminino 172 (67,4) 0,692 173 (38,7) 0,144 173 (37,0) 0,451
Masculino 96 (69,8) 96 (47,9) 96 (41,7)
Faixa etária
≤ 49 84 (69,0) 0,317 85 (35,3) 0,085 85 (32,9) 0,024
50-64 120 (64,2) 120 (40,8) 120 (35,0)
≥ 65 64 (75,0) 64 (53,1) 64 (53,1)
Estado civil
Casado 137 (67,2) 0,326 137 (37,2) 0,363 137 (35,0) 0,242
Solteiro 59 (74,6) 59 (47,5) 59 (44,1)
Divorciado 41 (58,5) 42 (42,9) 42 (33,3)
Viúvo 31 (74,2) 31 (51,6) 31 (51,6)
Estudo (anos)
Analfabeto 22 (59,1) 0,637 22 (40,9) 0,681 22 (40,9) 0,803
4 106 (67,0) 106 (44,3) 106 (40,6)
5–8 61 (75,4) 61 (42,6) 61 (41,0)
9–12 59 (66,1) 60 (35,0) 60 (31,7)
≥ 13 17 (6,4) 17 (52,9) 17 (41,2)
Estádio
I 19 (73,7) 0,387 19 (36,8) 0,260 19 (36,8) 0,670
II 50 (58,0) 50 (32,0) 50 (32,0)
III 103 (68,9) 104 (43,3) 104 (39,4)
IV 77 (71,4) 77 949,4) 77 (42,9)
Metástase
Sim 119 (70,6) 0,469 119 (42,0) 0,998 119 (38,7) 0,999
Não 149 (66,4) 150 (42,0) 150 (38,7)
Álcool
Atualmente 35 (80,0) 0,271 35 (42,9) 0,782 35 (42,9) 0,663
Ex-fumante 128 (67,2) 128 (39,8) 128 (35,9)
Nunca 105 (65,7) 106 (44,3) 106 (40,6)
Tabaco
Atualmente 31 (41,9) 0,002 31 (29,0) 0,086 31 (22,6) 0,051
Ex-fumante 119 (75,6) 119 (48,7) 119 (51,9)
Nunca fumou 118 (67,8) 119 (38,7) 119 (36,1)
Custeio quimioterapia
SUS 252 (67,6) 0,476 253 (41,5) 0,648 253 (38,3) 0,605
Plano de saúde/particular 13 (76,9) 13 (46,2) 13 (38,5)
Acesso antieméticos domicílio
Comprou/não comprou 157 (65,0) 0,165 157 (40,1) 0,460 157 (37,6) 0,666
Não comprou 111 (73,0) 112 (44,6) 112 (40,2)
Hospital
Hospital 1 69 (84,0) 0,015 69 (47,8) 0,642 69 (47,8) 0,513
Hospital 2 139 (64,7) 140 (46,4) 140 (40,0)
Hospital 3 90 (68,8) 90 (41,1) 90 (40,0)
Potencial emético
APE 151 (64,2) 0,106 152 (36,8) 0,05 152 (32,2) 0,014
Mope 117 (73,5) 117 (48,7) 117 (47,0)
Antiemético fase aguda
Esquema simplificado 7 (71,4) 0,820 7 (71,4) 0,071 7 (57,1) 0,209
Dexametasona + ondansetrona 200 (67,0) 201 (38,3) 201 (35,8)
Dexametasona + ondansetrona + outro 61 (72,1) 61 (51,0) 61 (46,0)
Antiemético fase tardia
Ondansetrona e outro 78 (38,5) 0,505 78 (30,8) 0,313
Dexametasona + ondansetrona + outros antieméticos 73 (43,8) 73(42,5)
Outros antieméticosb 34 (29,4) 34 (29,4)
Dexametasona + ondansetrona 31 (41,9) 31 (35,5)
Ondansetrona 16 (37,5) 16 (37,5)
Dexametasona e outro 7 (71,4) 7 (71,4)
Dexametasona 2 (50,0) 2 (50,0)

SUS: Sistema Único de Saúde; APE: alto potencial emético; Mope: moderado potencial emético.

a

Teste exato de Fisher ou teste qui-quadrado

b

Outros antieméticos: antagonista de receptor histamínico (difenidramina, dimenidrinato, bromoprida, omeprazol, ranitidina) e antagonista de receptor de dopamina (metoclopramida).

Na análise bivariada, foram observadas na fase aguda diferenças na resposta completa para NVIQA em relação às variáveis uso de tabaco e hospital de tratamento. Na fase aguda, identificou-se menor proporção de resposta completa no Hospital 2 (64,7%) em comparação aos outros dois hospitais, e entre os fumantes atuais (41,9%), em comparação aos pacientes que nunca fumaram ou que são ex-tabagistas. Na fase total, as variáveis faixa etária e potencial emético apresentaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas. Na fase total, a faixa etária menor que 49 anos apresentou menor incidência de resposta completa (32,9%), e pacientes submetidos a quimioterápicos com APE apresentaram menor resposta completa (32,2%) quando comparados com pacientes submetidos a Mope. A análise bivariada pode ser verificada na Tabela 3.

Na fase total, as faixas etárias inferiores (≤ 49 anos e 50–64 anos) tiveram a resposta completa diminuída em comparação com a faixa etária superior (≥ 65 anos) – odds ratio (OR) = 0,47; 95% intervalo de confiança (IC95%) 0,23–0,95 versus OR = 0,45; IC95% 0,23–0,87. A resposta completa também aumenta, nesta fase, quando comparamos pacientes que nunca fumaram com pacientes ex-fumantes (OR = 1,91; IC95% 1,02–3,57). Ainda nesta fase, a resposta completa diminuiu nos pacientes submetidos a quimioterapia com APE, quando comparados com os pacientes submetidos a Mope (OR = 0,55; IC95% 0,31–0,95).

A regressão logística múltipla mostrou que, na fase aguda, fumar diminui a resposta completa, em comparação com pacientes que nunca fumaram (OR = 0,35; IC95% 0,14–0,88). O Hospital 1 mostrou melhor resposta completa na fase aguda, quando comparado ao Hospital 3 (OR = 2,71; IC95% 1,14–6,42).

Na fase tardia, a resposta completa diminui nos pacientes submetidos a quimioterapia com APE, quando comparados com os pacientes submetidos a Mope (OR = 0,56; IC95% 0,32–0,97). As variáveis inseridas no modelo de regressão logística múltipla estão na Tabela 4.

Tabela 4. Regressão logística múltipla para resposta completa de náusea/vômito. Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil, 2015.

Fatores Resposta completa náusea/vômito
Fase aguda Fase tardia Fase completa
OR (IC95%) p Modeloa OR (IC95%) p Modeloa OR (IC95%) p Modeloa
Sexo
Masculino 1,15 (0,60–2.21) 0,66 1,78 (0,97–3,26) 0,06 1,50 (0,81–2,78) 0,18
Feminino 1 1 1
Faixa etária
≤ 49 0,81 (0,37–1,76) 0,51 0,54 (0,27–1,10) 0,14 0,46 (0,23–0.95) 0,03
50-64 0,65 (0,32–1,35) 0,54 (0,28–1,05) 0,45 (0,23–0.87)
≥ 65 1 1 1
Álcool
Ex-etilista 0,96 (0,47–1,95) 0,28 0,52 (0,26–1,02) 0,16 0,55 (0,28–1,0) 0,08
É etilista 2,08 (0,76–5,70) 0,77 (0,33–1,79) 0,90 (0,38–2,1)
Nunca foi etilista 1 1 1
Tabaco
Ex-fumante 1,64 (0,83–3,22) 0,02 1,86 (1,00–3,45) 0,07 1,91 (1,02–3,57) 0,04
É tabagista 0,35 (0,14–0,88) 0,91(0,35–2,35) 0,75 (0,27–2,05)
Nunca fumou 1 1 1
Potencial emético
APE 0,85 (0,47–1,54) 0,60 0,56 (0,32–0,97) 0,04 0,55 (0,31–0,95) 0,03
Mope 1 1 1
Antiemético Fase Aguda
Esquema simplificadob 0,69 (0,10–4,69) 0,93 3,27 (0,51–20,81) 0,13 1,91 (0,33–11,12) 0,47
Dexametasona + Ondansetrona 0,94 (0,46–1,93) 0,66 (0,35–1,27) 0,77 (0,40–1,48)
Dexametasona + Ondansetrona + outro 1 1 1
Hospital
Hospital 1 2,71 (1,14–6,42) 0.02 1,06 (0,51–2,21) 0,87 1,22 (0,58–2,54) 0,78
Hospital 2 0,90 (0,47–1,72) 1,17 (0,63–2,20) 0,96 (0,50–1,82)
Hospital 3 1 1 1

OR: odds ratio; IC95%: intervalo de confiança; APE: alto potencial emético; Mope: moderado potencial emético.

a

p modelo: regressão logística múltipla;

b

Esquema simplificado: ondansetrona + outro antiemético ou dexametasona + outro antiemético ou ondansetrona.

DISCUSSÃO

A amostra foi formada em maior parte por mulheres, com câncer de mama em estádio III, faixa etária entre 50 e 64 anos, casadas, com até quatro anos de estudos, ex-fumantes e ex-alcoolistas, com tratamento custeado pelo Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). A incidência de náuseas para ambos os potenciais eméticos na fase total foi de 58%, e a incidência de vômitos foi de 32,7%.

O câncer de mama foi o mais frequente no sexo feminino (33,1%), como encontrado em estudos prospectivos observacionais que avaliaram NVIQA9-10,12-14. O câncer de mama é o mais incidente entre as mulheres no Brasil e no mundo, e a mortalidade causada por ele pode estar associada a desigualdades sociais15,16. Ainda, 94,1% do custeio do tratamento quimioterápico foi realizado pelo SUS, e 67,9% dos pacientes apresentaram-se com estádio avançado da doença (estádio III e IV), iniciando tratamento quimioterápico. Esse dado corrobora a estimativa oficial de incidência de câncer no Brasil, na qual ressalta-se que os cânceres, inclusive de mama, que possui rastreamento, são diagnosticados em estádio avançado17.

A incidência de NVIQA na fase aguda foi menor do que na fase tardia, com um pico no terceiro dia (43,5%) após a infusão do quimioterápico, para ambos os potenciais eméticos. Resultado semelhante, em que a incidência de náusea e vômitos foi menor na fase aguda, foi destacado em estudos anteriores9,13.

A náusea é um efeito adverso subjetivo, porém tem-se mostrado mais frequente que os vômitos, e com potencial de piora da qualidade de vida e estado nutricional dos pacientes em tratamento quimioterápico18. Terapêuticas não farmacológicas são indicadas para o controle de náuseas, como técnicas de distração e consumo de gengibre19-20.

A náusea aguda apresentou menor incidência (31%) quando comparada a estudo recente13 (46%) com pacientes também submetidos aos dois potenciais eméticos (APE e Mope). A incidência de náusea tardia para ambos os potenciais eméticos (54,6%) também foi menor que a relatada nesse estudo citado, que encontrou uma incidência de 82,7%13.

No presente estudo, a resposta completa para vômito foi 61,2% e de náusea foi 40,8% em pacientes submetidos a APE, na fase aguda. Frequências maiores para resposta completa de vômito (86%) e de náusea (81%) foram observadas em estudos prévios12.

A incidência de vômitos (29,4%) na fase tardia foi maior do que a encontrada em estudo anterior (23%)13-14. Quando comparamos a incidência de vômito tardio por potencial emético (APE: 38,8% e Mope: 17,1%) também encontramos uma proporção maior que a encontrada por outros autores (19,2% para APE e 16,1% para Mope)12.

A resposta completa para vômito na fase total foi de 57,2% para os pacientes submetidos a APE e 80,3% para pacientes submetidos a Mope. Em estudo prévio12, a resposta completa para vômito foi de 74,8% em pacientes submetidos a APE, porcentagem superior à encontrada estudo. No entanto, a resposta completa para pacientes submetidos a Mope foi semelhante, 80%12.

A resposta completa para NVIQA na fase total foi observada para 38,7%, após serem submetidos a quimioterapia antineoplásica com APE e Mope. Esta proporção encontrada foi menor quando comparada àquelas encontradas em outros estudos realizados anteriormente, nos quais a resposta completa no primeiro ciclo foi de 53,4%21 e 69%12.

No presente estudo, nenhum paciente recebeu esquema antiemético com antagonista de receptor de NK1. Em estudo realizado previamente13, o esquema antiemético 5-HT3RA + dexametasona foi prescrito para 62,9% dos pacientes, e o esquema 5-HT3RA foi prescrito para 18,2%, sendo que 78,6% dos pacientes receberam esquema de antiemético recomendado pelo protocolo. Em outro estudo21, o percentual de adequação de prescrição de antiemético ao protocolo, no primeiro ciclo de quimioterapia, foi de 63,4% na fase aguda e 59,7% na fase tardia.

Salienta-se que os esquemas antieméticos não estão prescritos de acordo com os protocolos. Não encontramos associação entre os esquemas prescritos e a resposta completa para as diferentes fases analisadas. Ressalta-se que estudos mais recentes têm demonstrado que os esquemas antieméticos compostos por associação de 5-HT3RA + antagonista de NK1 e corticoide têm controlado melhor NVIQA na fase aguda e na fase tardia22,23. Os pacientes que receberam quimioterapia com APE tiveram menores respostas completas para fase tardia e fase total, em comparação com pacientes submetidos a Mope, concordando com a literatura21,24.

As faixas etárias inferiores (≤ 49 e 50-64 anos) foram fator de risco para NVIQA. Esses achados foram semelhantes em estudos prévios, em que faixas etárias inferiores a 50–55 anos tiveram piora da resposta completa para NVIQA14, 21, 24,25.

Um estudo prévio mostrou que as NVIQA foram menos frequentes entre os pacientes fumantes, comparados aos não fumantes26. No presente estudo, nas fases tardia e total, houve associação inversa entre ser ex-fumante e ter melhor resposta completa, em comparação com pacientes que nunca fumaram. O contato prévio com o tabaco e não atual mostrou-se um fator negativo para NVIQA. No entanto, um estudo enfatizou os malefícios do cigarro para pacientes com câncer em tratamento quimioterápico, dentre eles: perda de peso, problemas de pele e sono e incidência de náusea, em comparação com pacientes que não fumavam27.

Não foram encontradas evidências de que o sexo feminino seja fator de risco para NVIQA, o que corrobora o resultado anterior21,28. No entanto, alguns estudos apontam que o sexo feminino teria maior susceptibilidade para NVIQA14.

Não foi encontrada diferença de NVIQA entre usuários e não usuários de álcool. O consumo de cinco ou mais doses de álcool por semana foi associado com resposta completa para vômito em estudo desenvolvido anteriormente28. Outro estudo encontrou associação no primeiro ciclo de quimioterapia para pacientes que consumiam mais de 11 doses por semana apenas para o desfecho de vômito agudo, em comparação com pacientes que não consumiam álcool ou doses por semana, sendo o maior consumo de álcool fator de proteção contra NVIQA. O consumo de álcool não foi associado a diferença de resposta para NVIQA em literatura anterior24.

O Hospital 1 tem uma característica que o diferencia, o que pode ter influenciado no aumento da resposta completa para fase aguda em comparação com o Hospital 3. Foi encontrada associação entre o hospital e o esquema antiemético administrado ao paciente na fase aguda. Os pacientes do Hospital 1 receberam o esquema 5-HT3RA + corticoide + outro antiemético (mais próximo do que é preconizado pelos protocolos MASCC e ESMO) em 39,3% dos casos.

Alguns fatores não pesquisados podem ter influenciado na melhora de resposta completa para náusea e vômitos na fase aguda no Hospital 1, em comparação ao Hospital 3. Especificamente para o controle de náuseas e vômitos, pode-se destacar a estrutura física das salas de aplicação da quimioterapia (ventilação, odores, permanência do acompanhante com pacientes). O córtex cerebral identifica a presença de fatores relacionados ao ambiente hospitalar que podem induzir náuseas e vômitos3. Estudos anteriores conseguiram verificar associação entre o apoio do cuidador/familiar percebido pelo paciente e a reposta do controle de NVIQA29. Sabe-se que outros recursos podem influenciar no controle de náuseas e vômitos, como a acupuntura, o uso de gengibre, a alimentação fracionada e gelada e técnicas de relaxamento e distração – o que não foi investigado neste estudo e pode ter predominado nos participantes do Hospital 130.

Dentre as limitações do estudo, destaca-se a ausência da dose de consumo do álcool. A variável “utilização de uso de resgate antiemético” no domicílio não foi utilizada, pois poderia haver viés de memória por parte dos participantes (o uso de medicamentos não foi contemplado no questionário recordatório das experiências de náuseas e vômitos).

Neste estudo, a incidência de náuseas foi maior do que de vômitos, e a fase tardia teve maior frequência dos dois efeitos adversos. Os resultados sugerem que, dentre os fatores de risco para episódios de NVIQA, estão o tabaco, a idade jovem e o alto potencial emético da terapia. A realização do tratamento no Hospital 1 apresentou-se como fator de melhor resposta completa na fase aguda em comparação com o Hospital 3. Todos os pacientes receberam profilaxia antiemética na fase aguda, embora a prescrição de esquemas antieméticos não atendesse aos protocolos utilizados neste estudo como referência para pacientes submetidos a alto e moderado potencial emético.

Funding Statement

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq (MCTI/CNPQ/Universal 14/2014). Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado Minas Geral – FAPEMIG (2/2015 CDS PPM 00176-15 e 14/2013 APQ-03475-13). Apoio da Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa (PRPq) da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (programa institucional de pagamento de taxa de publicação em periódicos indexados – 02/2020).

Footnotes

Financiamento:

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq (MCTI/CNPQ/Universal 14/2014). Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado Minas Geral – FAPEMIG (2/2015 CDS PPM 00176-15 e 14/2013 APQ-03475-13). Apoio da Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa (PRPq) da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (programa institucional de pagamento de taxa de publicação em periódicos indexados – 02/2020).


Articles from Revista de Saúde Pública are provided here courtesy of Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública.

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